Thrust Industries
by garden-nomes
Summary: Naomi Campbell is a senior product tester in a very stimulating profession. Emily Fitch is the new girl in the office... Rated M for language/other stuff.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I'm laughing out loud as I write this A/N, because once again a humorous conversation on twitter has led me to the inspiration for a story. Actually, I was jokingly teasing GloryMorgan on twitter about a package she got, and my mind ran away with itself. That's what happens when I tweet before I have coffee. LOL**

**Should I really give you any clues about this? I'm not sure I should, because I think it'll become apparent in the first few paragraphs. It'll be interesting, though, I can tell you that, and there will be some of you who will no doubt be compelled to feed your cigarette addictions (or even take up the habit).**

**Humour, sex, drama, and all of that good stuff. Maybe a bit of angst along the way, too... Who knows.**

**Alright then, on with the show...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own skins. But I'd buy it lunch if it wanted me to. Any and all typos are a complete lie, I swear, just like the cake.**

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**(Naomi POV)**

"Campbell!" I heard my boss call from behind me as I walked down the hallway. I cringed as I turned around to face him.

"Yes?" I asked. Thank Christ I was wearing a bathrobe, lecherous fucker never missed a chance to leer at my tits. Don't get me wrong. They're nice perky tits, and I'm proud of them, but I definitely don't swing that way, and he knows it, but still...he never misses a chance for a perv. Fucker.

"The testing schedule is halted for today. Sophia quit."

"_What? _When?" I asked shocked. I'd just had drinks with her last night, and ok, we went back to mine and shagged each other stupid, _again_, but she never mentioned anything. Hmm...perhaps it was because we didn't really do that much in the way of talking, and she spent the evening mostly with her face between my legs?

"This morning. Apparently she got a job in Paris. She emailed her notice in, effective immediately." He said.

"Christ!" I muttered. "So what happens in the meantime?"

"We are interviewing for her replacement now. We should be done by this afternoon. Until then, I believe you still have some appraisals to write?"

I groaned and rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I suppose I do." I said. "Alright, I'll be in my office, then. Whenever you find someone, just send her to me so I can at least meet her before I have to bloody work with her, yeah?"

"Of course. Your appraisals are due by five." He said, as he turned and left.

_Fucking typical._

Well, if you hadn't guessed it from what my boss said, my last name is Campbell, and my first name, unfortunately, is Naomi. Spare me the jokes about shoes and telephones, I've heard more than a dozen, all of them unfunny. Sophia was one of the best people I've worked with, at least in my line of work, which, let's face it, isn't for everybody.

Oh, I guess I should _explain_ my job, no?

Alright then, you asked for it. I work as a senior product tester for Thrust Industries. Sounds pretty normal, no? It would be, except for the fact that Thrust Industries is the number one sex toy manufacturer for the lesbian market in the UK. And by product tester... Well, I suppose you can fill in the blanks on that one for yourself. It's a dirty job, but someone has got to do it. _Pun intended_. How does one become product tester for a sex toy company, I hear you asking? Well, it goes like this... You're hanging out with your best friend one day, sharing a couple of spliffs and a bottle of vodka between you, moaning about how you're unemployed and you don't know what your next step is. Your best friend has a copy of a lesbian themed edition of Hustler open on her lap and is reading through the classified ads.

"Honestly, Eff, I dunno why you read that shit."

"I like the articles." She replied.

"It's porn, how can it have readable articles in it?" I scoffed. "It's all tits and bush, for fuck's sake. Not even that, it's porn aimed at males, so naturally all the girls in it are as bare as the day they forced themselves out of their mothers' twats."

"Charming. I'm reading the classifieds, anyway. They've got job ads in here." She deadpanned, perusing the page that was open in front of her.

"Seriously, Eff? Job ads from a porno? Jesus." I muttered.

"Naoms, you haven't worked in three months. Do you really want to have to move back to Gina's?"

"God no. I love her, but she drives me mental." I replied.

"Exactly. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

"Erm... I could end up as somebody's gimp in some creepy hardcore bondage porno?"

Effy smirked. "And a sexy gimp you would make, too." She said.

"OI!" I laughed, nudging her, as I took another swig of vodka.

"Here, look... There's an ad for a product tester. Good conditions, regular work, decent pay and benefits."

I looked at the ad as she held it out to me. "It doesn't say what sort of products, though."

"Really... What's the worst it could be? C'mon, Naoms, what have you got to lose?"

I rolled my eyes. "Besides my dignity?"

Effy reached for her phone and dialled the number from the ad. "Oh, good afternoon... I'm enquiring about the ad in Hustler." She said, as I watched her in disbelief. "Mmhmm. Uh huh... I see. Sure, I can come in for an interview, name your time." My jaw dropped as I realised she was actually serious. "Tomorrow at two would be perfect. My name? Naomi Campbell."

"EFF!" I exclaimed. Effy waved me off as another smirk crossed her lips.

"And the address?" She asked, reaching for a pen. She scribbled down the address on the corner of the magazine page. "Alright, see you then." She said, ending the call in her phone. "Naomi, trust me. You want this job." She said, that ever annoying smirk of her firmly in place. She stood up and shook her hair out. "I have to go."

"Wha...aren't you even going to tell me what sort of products they test?"

She grinned. "Nope." She said, as she walked to the door. "2pm tomorrow. That address. Let me know how it went." She said, as she opened the door and floated out, closing it behind her.

"Bitch!" I yelled, to no avail.

The next day, I ended up in front of a large building, with "TI" in large golden letters above the door. I went inside, and was greeted at the front office by a perky looking blonde girl.

"Hiya! Welcome to Thrust Industries! I'm Panda, how can I help you?"

"Uh..." I said, stepping up to the desk. Thrust Industries? What the actual fuck? I cleared my throat and found my voice. "I'm here for an interview at 2pm."

"Whizzer! Can I ask your name?" She asked, cheerily. Was she on MDMA, or what?

"Naomi Campbell."

She stared at me. "Flippin' 'eck, you don't look much like her!"

"Yeah yeah, that's because I'm not _THE_ Naomi Campbell. I'm just unlucky enough to have the same name as her."

"Super! Well, I'll let Mr Dover know you are here. Take a seat, I'm sure he won't be long."

I took a seat on one of the plush couches that lined the wall, spotting the magazines on the coffee table. Hustler. Playboy. Sex Toy Monthly? What _had_ Effy got me into?

"Miss Campbell?" The voice startled me, and I stood up, faced with a tallish, grey haired man who looked to be in his fifties. He held out his hand, which I took and shook, out of politeness. "Ben Dover, I'll be conducting your interview. Come on through." He said, ushering me to the door. Was he _kidding_ with that name? Poor bastard. He led me to an office, and took a seat behind a large black desk. Overcompensating for something, perhaps?

"So, I trust you know about the position?" He asked, ruffling through some papers.

"Erm... Not _exactly_. A friend sort of dobbed me in for it. I believe it's product testing of some kind?" I said.

He looked up at me and smiled. "That's correct, but the products we test are... Well... A _little_ bit different than your average household items, I guess. But still our customers demand satisfaction, and by testing our products, we make sure that they will... Perform to expectations."

"I see. Can I ask what products you actually test?" I asked.

"Sex toys." He said, matter-of-factly.

My eyes went wide. "Sorry, I'm not sure I heard you right... I could have _sworn_ you said sex toys."

"I did." He nodded. "Specifically, sex toys with a female market in mind."

"Oh." I said, stunned.

"Allow me to explain the position. We here at Thrust Industries pride ourselves on quality. As such, we require competent product testers to test and grade our products to gauge how..._satisfying_ they are. There's only so much we can tell from the usual run-of-the-mill product testing. We go one step further and test for the pleasurable aspect of it as well. Granted it's not a position for everyone, if you will excuse the pun, but I'll tell you now, if you do take the position, you will be well rewarded."

"I bet." I muttered.

He smiled at me. "Like I said, excuse the puns. We will teach you the criteria involved in our testing and appraisals. In terms of pay, it's £60 an hour, plus benefits. Four weeks holiday every year, plus sick pay. You also get a free product of your own choosing when we release our new lines every January."

My eyes went wide. "£60 _per hour?_"

"Correct." He replied. "Will you take the job?"

I mulled it over for a moment. "Before I say yes... Would I be allowed to see how _exactly_ the testing is done?"

"Of course." He said, with a smile. "I wouldn't expect you to take the position without first seeing what you'll be in for." He stood up. "If you'll follow me..."

By the time I'd left an hour later, Mr Dover had explained exactly what they do, in great, _graphic_ detail. And by graphic, I mean like a museum exhibit that doubled as a brightly lit live sex show. It was a bit uncomfortable to begin with, but by the end of the tour (and what a tour!), I was sold. Mostly by the fact that he assured me I didn't have to work with men, which was a relief. I might have dabbled in cock once or twice as a teenager, but, however fumble-worthy those adventures had been, I was clearly a muff muncher, not a cock cruncher.

"So?" Mr Dover asked, as he led me out of the testing area. "Is this a position you could be interested in?"

I didn't really have a choice. Rent was due, and mum, for all her love of me, was getting fed up with me borrowing cash from her, and I had _no_ desire to move back into Casa de Campbell.

"Yes." I said, finally. I really hoped I wouldn't regret it.

"Excellent. You start Monday. The first day will mostly be paperwork and introductions, but after that, we will get you sorted with the training." He said, beaming.

_That_ was two years ago. Admittedly I was naïve when I started here, but I quickly learned that it was just like any other job. It could have been worse... It could very well have been something as cheap as porn, or god forbid prostitution, but we actually served a proper purpose. Have you ever had a sex toy that made you come better than your own fingers? It's thanks to people like me that things like that are possible. I was nervous at first, but after the first couple of weeks, I got less self conscious about being naked most of the time at work, quickly learning to separate the difference between my job and my personal life of casual sex with randoms. After all, I didn't feel right having a partner with the job I had, somehow.

It was well after four by the time I got done with my appraisals. I'd just finished one on a rather fantastic strap-on that was very pleasurable on both ends, _thank you very much_, when a knock came on my door.

"Come in!" I called, clicking save on my document. The door opened, and I looked up to see a petite woman with shoulder length red hair come in. The colour of her hair was not the usual gingery red you see, but a deep cherry colour, definitely not natural, but beautiful all the same. She had brown eyes, a cute as hell nose, as well as the rest of her face. Simply put, she was fucking gorgeous.

"Uh...hi." She said, the husky tone of her voice meeting my ears. Honestly, I think it melted something inside of me, because it made me go all gooey.

I cleared my throat. "Yes?"

She came into the office and the door shut behind her. She eyed me warily, unsure of herself, it seemed. "Uhm...I'm Emily. Mr Dover said I was to come and see you?"

Then it clicked. "Ah. You're Sophia's replacement." I said. She nodded. "Well, Emily... Have a seat." I said, gesturing to the chair on the other side of the desk. "I expect he's told you what we do here?" Again, she nodded. "And you're ok with that?"

"I guess so. I've really got no other choice at the moment." She shrugged. "But I'm not a prude or anything... It's just... A lot to take in." She said, with a shy smile. Why did I find that so _bloody_ cute?

I laughed. "Yeah, it's a bit in your face, isn't it?"

"Just slightly." Emily grinned. "But at least it's an all female testing crew."

I nodded. "Precisely why I took the job."

"How long have you been here? Mr Dover told me you were a senior tester, I can't assume that's a job you just walk into..."

"No, you're right, it's not." I replied. "I've been here two years. And I was just as nervous as you on my first day. Can I make a suggestion?" Emily nodded. "Treat it like any other job, yeah? When you clock out at the end of the day, go home and forget about it as best you can. You'll quickly learn to detach yourself, and it's ok to do that. We provide a public service here, strange as it may be, but it's just another job. You'll get over the novelty of it soon enough."

"How long did it take you?" Emily asked.

I peered at her. "Couple of weeks." I shrugged. "It's also not a job many people will understand, so if you need to talk about anything related to it, let me know and I'll see what I can do." I explained. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"I don't see why not, we will be working together after all." Emily replied.

I gave her a smile. "True." I said. "Do you have a partner?"

Emily blushed, and it was totally adorable. "Yeah, I do."

"Do they know you are here?"

"No." She shook her head. "She doesn't. She thinks I'm going for an office job."

"I see." I nodded. "She wouldn't...approve?"

"Probably not." She shrugged.

"Jealous type?"

"I guess you could say that."

I smirked. "Alright. Listen, it's nearly five, so I'll see you tomorrow, I suppose. If you can be in my office around nine, we can go through the product schedule for the day."

"Ok. See you tomorrow, then." She said, as she stood up, reaching for my hand. I held mine out and took hers, shaking it firmly, and trying not to think about exactly how soft her hand felt in mine.

"Take care, Emily." I said, leaning back in my chair and watching as she went out the door, closing it behind her. I didn't realise I'd sat there for a few very long minutes, thinking about the conversation I'd just had, when my mobile rang in my desk. Shaking myself out of my thoughts, I opened the drawer and pulled out my phone, answering it. "Hello?"

"Naoms... Work is over, yeah? Come and meet me at the bloody bar already!" Effy said.

"Uh... Right, right... I'm on my way. Be there in ten."

"Maaaagic." She said, and I could hear the smirk in her voice. I ended the call and grabbed my bag and my scarf off the coat hook, looping it around my neck, and leaving the office, heading out of the building and into the late afternoon.

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**A/N#2: So, that's the end of the first chapter.**

**Thoughts? Yay? Nay?**

**Reviews welcome, let me know what you think.**

**:-D**

**~GN~ xo**


	2. First Day

**A/N: Welllll...hello. ;-)**

**Gathering from the positive reviews I've got so far, this little gem of an idea has been well received! Which makes me smile :-) It's nice to see that you guys think it has potential, and isn't just a twisted figment of my imagination...lol**

**Chapter two, then... Told from Emily's point of view. Hope you enjoy it... I thought I was done at almost 3000 words and then promptly wrote another 2000 LOL, so this is the result of that.**

**On with it, then...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own skins. I apparently own a dirty mind, and am probably a bad influence lol. Any and all typos are a complete fabrication. Smoke and mirrors, and all that jazz.**

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**(Emily POV)**

I think I can safely say, that as far as job interviews go, my interview at Thrust Industries was _quite_ the eye opener. I'd answered the ad out of curiosity, really. I was wondering what sort of company that advertised for a product tester would be doing placing an ad in a porn magazine. Admittedly, the copy I was reading was a couple of years old, and I was only reading it for the, shall we say, _stimulating_ imagery? Ok, so I was masturbating, _whatever_. What _else_ do you expect me to do when my girlfriend is so busy she doesn't have time for me anymore? Being between jobs left me with a lot of spare time, and honestly, the two year old copy of Hustler I was, erm, _viewing_ just wasn't doing it for me, if you catch my drift, even if it was a lesbian centric issue. Frustrated, I moved my hand from between my legs, and then found myself looking at the classifieds section, just for a giggle, obviously. Some of the ads were laughable.

"_Middle aged man seeks twenty-something playmate. Must have big tits and be a brunette._"

Wow, I'd let my sister Katie know, if she didn't have such high standards, and if the magazine wasn't two years old. Poor bloke must have either wanked himself to death, or be walking along the beach with the big-breasted brunette of his dreams.

"_Dominant seeks submissive for playtime. Anything goes. Call and ask for Rex._"

Aww. I can only hope Rex eventually found his playmate, and they are engaging in nightly spanking sessions or something.

"_Wanted: Product Tester for popular company. Excellent pay, good conditions. Call to arrange an interview, as we hire regularly, so if there's no positions available today, there might be some tomorrow!_"

Product Tester, eh? What's the worst it could be? I momentarily forgot the age of the magazine as I dialled the number.

"_Good morning, TI, this is Pandora speaking, how can I be of assistance?_" Came the cheery voice on the other end of the line.

"Oh, uh... Hello. I wonder if you can help me... I'm actually ringing about an ad that was placed in a magazine for product testers. Unfortunately the ad is a bit old, so I'm not sure if you have any positions available at the moment."

"_Blimey, we stopped placing ads in magazines a while ago... Which magazine?_" 'Pandora' asked.

"Uh... The June 2011 edition of Hustler?" I said, tentatively. "Like I said, it was an old ad, so I understand if you don't have-"

"_Oh, right! Actually, uh... We do have an opening that's just become available! Would you be interested in an interview, say, this afternoon?_" Pandora replied.

"That would be great! Whereabouts are you located?"

So, Pandora gave me the address, and a couple of hours later, I was standing in front of a building with golden letters above its door. "TI"... I wondered what that stood for.

By the end of the afternoon, I'd taken the job, I was needing some cash almost desperately, after all, and who the hell would knock back £60 an hour? I figured I could look for something else in the meantime, something I would be able to tell my dad about with a straight face (no pun intended). Besides, the company seemed respectable enough, the bloke who hired me explained that due to the unexpected resignation of one of their testers, they were short staffed. So, I took the job, if not for the very attractive salary package and benefits, but for the ability to laugh at my boss's name every day. _Ben Dover?_ Seriously? Ha!

And then, I met who I'd be working with. Apparently, she had asked that I be sent in that afternoon, sort of a meet and greet thing, I guess. When I knocked on her door, I was quite surprised to find a gorgeous woman, with shoulder length blonde hair and blue eyes sitting behind a rather opulent looking desk, topped with a computer. She looked up at me and studied me for a moment, and once I introduced myself, she invited me into her office and we had a brief chat. I blushed when she asked about my girlfriend Mandy. I couldn't very well lie and say I was single, could I? Naomi said she and I would be working together, while I had an idea what that entailed from what Mr Dover had said, I didn't take the chance to ask her to elaborate on it further. Apparently due to the staff shortage they weren't actually doing any testing that day, so he was unable to allow me a sneak peek like he did the other prospective employees.

When I left the building that day, I stopped at Tesco's to get some groceries, and then made my way home to my flat, where I found Mandy watching television.

"Hey, Ems." She said, from the sofa, as I wandered in.

"Hiya." I replied, with a small smile, on my way through to the kitchen. "How was your day?"

"Boring. End of the month reports, and all that. What about yours?" Mandy replied.

"Good, actually." I said, placing the milk into the fridge and walking out into the sitting room. I sat down next to her on the sofa. "I got a job."

"Oh, great! 'Bout bloody time, babe." She replied, kissing me on the cheek. "Doing what?"

"Oh, uh... Reception. For a legal office on the high street."

"Does it pay well?" She asked. Typical Mandy, always worried about the bills...

"Yeah. Quite well, actually." I said. "I start tomorrow."

"Excellent, it's good you found something to get you out of the house. I've been worried about you moping about all day, babe... It's not healthy."

I nodded. "So you keep telling me." I muttered.

Mandy took my hand in hers, and lifted my chin. "Now, Ems... You know I've got your best interests at heart, yeah?" She said, the usual concern filtering into her tone. It was, if I'll admit it, condescending and a little bit on the creepy side.

"I know." I said, playing along.

"Are you going to start on dinner? I'm hungry after a long day." Mandy asked.

I screwed up my nose. "D'you mind if I take a shower first?"

Mandy thought for a moment. "If you make it quick."

I smiled at her sweetly. "You could always...join me?"

"Ah, I'm sort of watching this, hun. But you go ahead, just don't be too long, I'm starving." She replied.

"Ok." I said, standing up and making my way to the bathroom. Bloody typical. I swear, I could lie on the dinner table naked with my legs spread, with a blinking sign pointing to my crotch and she wouldn't even blink. It's been like this for months now. She's been working a lot more lately, and is rarely home. I was actually surprised to find her here tonight, if I'm being honest. She gets home late, leaves early, but still expects me to cook for her and do everything else around the flat, just because I didn't currently have a job. Sex was a bit of a distant memory, I suppose. And as evident by my failed tour with the old copy of Hustler that morning, the do-it-yourself method wasn't, er, _doing it _for me.

As I took a shower, I thought about my current situation. Mandy was an accountant. Surely accountancy wasn't getting busier and busier by the week? There had to be another explanation for her absence in our relationship, and there definitely had to be a reason as to why we hadn't been intimate in what was now stretching out to be months. I know I'd lied to her about my job, but it was just easier that way. If she knew what my job really was, she would freak out, and it would frankly be more trouble than it's worth. Mandy was a possessive type, and a lot of people, my sister included thought we were mismatched as a couple. We didn't always have such a distant relationship, when we got together it was great, but yeah, the last few months had taken a turn that meant I was lacking affection from someone who should have been attentive. Occasionally we'd argue, thought seeing as we hadn't spent any real time together lately, we hadn't even argued about things. So I guess you could say our relationship was strained, to say the least.

It didn't help that she got jealous of me spending time with friends, even Katie. It got to the stage that I'd just stopped telling her whenever I'd see my sister, usually taking the time to do it when she was at work. I'd stopped caring about pissing her off, seeing as she wasn't actually around a lot of the time to piss off. There was still some small part of me that loved her, but for the most part, I wasn't sure I even liked her much anymore. It's hard to love someone when, even though they take a diminished role in your life, they still are possessive of you. It was like she didn't want to be with me, but didn't want anyone else to have me either.

I ended up getting out of the shower, and cooking dinner. Butter chicken and rice, one of my favourites. Mandy was gone, though. She'd left me a note saying she got called into the office. Yeah, right. At 7pm? Did she really think I was that stupid? That was the thing that led me to become suspicious. Maybe she was cheating on me after all? I thought it over, while I was enjoying my butter chicken for one. I came to the conclusion then, that I was better off getting out of this relationship. She obviously didn't want me anymore, and had obviously found comfort in someone else. I wasn't about to stick around to get my heart trampled on, anymore than it already had been by the lack of intimacy and even love between me and Mandy. I decided it didn't matter anymore, that she didn't want me... And now with a new job, that paid well enough, I might as well save up the deposit for a flat of my own, and move out. The sad thing was, she would barely notice the difference, seeing as we never saw each other.

Besides, what kind of a relationship is it, when the person who is supposed to love you communicates with you via notes and possessiveness? One I sure as hell wasn't going to put up with for much longer, that's for sure.

I picked up my phone and dialled Katie's number.

"_Emsy! What's up?_" She replied.

"Hi, Katie. Listen...are you busy?"

"_What do you mean by busy?_"

I sighed. "Fine, are you in the middle of shagging some wanker?"

Katie laughed. "_Babes, if I was, I wouldn't have picked up the phone. Are you alright?_"

"Mind if I come over?" I asked.

"'_Course not! What about Mandy?_" Katie replied.

"She's gone back to work, apparently."

"_At this time of night?_"

"That's what I thought to myself." I replied. "But look, if she's not here, I don't feel like being alone. Please? I've got things to tell you."

"_Uh, ok then. We can watch a DVD or something and drink some vodka_." Katie replied.

"Great! I'll be around in about half an hour." I said.

"_Bye, Emsy!_"

I ended the call, and grabbed my keys, putting on my jacket and scarf before heading out. Honestly, I didn't care if or when Mandy would be back that night, nor of the discussion that would probably take place when I got home. I'd already lied to her so out my new job, what was one more white lie? Katie could be a good alibi if necessary, god knows she owed me a few favours for covering for her when we were teenagers and she was out screwing her meathead shag-of-the-week.

The walk took less time than I thought, and in about twenty minutes, I was climbing the stairs to my sister's flat. I knocked on the door, and about ten seconds later, it was open, and I found myself looking at the mirror image of myself that would almost have been identical, if not for the darker coloured hair and slightly rounder face. "Emsy!" She grinned, pulling me into a patented Fitch hug.

"Hi, Kay." I said, returning the hug.

"Come on in."

I went inside, and Katie closed the door behind me. I sat down on the sofa and noted the already half full glass of vodka in front of an open bottle and another empty glass. "You started without me?"

"Oh, just the one, Ems." Katie scoffed, sitting down and pouring me a drink. She handed it to me and we clinked glasses. "Cheers."

"Cheers." I said, drinking the vodka down.

"So? To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, I got a job today." I said, reaching to refill my glass.

"You did? That's great! Doing what?"

"Uhm... product testing." I replied.

"Oh. What sort of products?"

"Promise me you won't laugh?"

"Why would I laugh?" Katie asked.

"I know what you're like..."

"It can't be that bad."

I laughed. "No, but it's probably embarrassing."

"Just bloody tell me, Emily!" Katie laughed with me.

"Alright, alright! Geez, don't get your knickers in a twist." I said, taking another sip of vodka. "It's uh... _Adult_ products."

"Adult products? What, you mean like...sex toys?"

"Uh huh."

"That's an actual _job_? How the hell do you test sex toys?"

"Uh, now that, I'm not entirely sure of. Apparently they were short staffed and they weren't actually doing any testing today, so I didn't get a demonstration." I explained. "But... From what my new boss said, they are very... Thorough in their testing methods."

"Wow." Katie said. "And what's the name of this company?" She asked, taking a sip from her glass.

"Thrust Industries." I replied.

Katie sprayed her vodka out and immediately burst into laughter. "_Seriously?!_ '**_Thrust_** Industries'? Could they think of a more comical name? Jesus, Emsy, how did you find that job?"

I shrugged. "Found the ad in an old copy of Hustler."

"Hustler? What, you got so bored you decided to read straight porn?" Katie asked. "That's odd, Ems, even for you."

I laughed. "It was an old lesbian themed issue."

"Oh." She replied. "_Oh_. So, you and Mandy still aren't..."

I sighed and shook my head. "No." I replied. "Katie, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, babes."

"If you know someone finishes for the day at five, and they leave you a note at seven, telling you they got called in, what would you think?"

"I'd think they're cheating on me." Katie replied. "Wait...Mandy?"

I nodded. "I think so. It would explain a lot." I said. "It would explain why she's gone off me in the last few months, and why she's never home. I hardly see her anymore. I spoke to her for all of five minutes today..." I explained. "Three of those as she was getting ready and then running out of the door telling me she was 'late for work'. The other two when she asked me to make her some dinner."

"Hmm. And she didn't stay?"

"No, I asked if she'd mind if I took a shower, I went to take one, and when I came back out, she had already left."

"What did you cook?"

I shook my head. "Katie, that's not the point."

"Right. So...you think she could be cheating on you?" Katie said. "Ems, why would she when she's got you? You're a catch!" She added, nudging me.

I blushed. "No idea. But it would certainly explain why I've seen so little of her lately, and why we haven't had sex in months."

"_Months?_"

"Mmhmm. Why else would I be reading an old copy of Hustler?" I shrugged.

"Er yeah, that's more info than I need." Katie said, screwing her nose up. "What did she say about your job?"

"I uh... Didn't _exactly_ tell her the entire truth about that. I told her I got a job as a receptionist for a legal firm." I said, looking sheepish.

Katie laughed. "And she bought that?"

"I hope so. You know she'll freak if she finds out the truth." I said, before finishing my glass. "Katie... I'm going to find a place of my own and leave her."

"Really?"

"Yes. I just get this recurring feeling she doesn't love me anymore. It's just not the same anymore. And if I'm totally honest... I don't feel the same way about her either, not like I used to." I said, quietly, pouring myself another drink.

"Can you afford to live on your own?"

"Assuming this job works out, yeah." I smiled.

Katie looked at me curiously. "Exactly how much are they paying you?"

"£60 an hour."

"Sixty _QUID?!_ Fuck me! Where do I sign up?" Katie laughed.

"Yeah, enough to quickly save for a deposit on a new flat and cover moving costs."

"Well, well." She replied, impressed. "I have to say, it's about time you left her. You're too good for her, Emily. And if she's cheating on you, I'll kick her fucking arse. No one does that to my little sister and gets away with it."

I smiled, leaned over and gave my sister a hug. "Thanks, Kay."

"Anytime."

"D'you mind if I stay tonight? I don't really feel like going home."

"What if Mandy comes home and doesn't find you there?"

I shrugged. "She'll no doubt ring me. I just...don't want to be alone."

"Sure. You can take the sofa."

"Thanks."

We stayed up late, talking shit and drinking vodka, never actually getting around to watching anything. I knew Mandy would have left for work early the next morning, if she'd come home at all. So when I walked into the flat to find it empty, I wasn't surprised. I wasn't even surprised by the note that was stuck to the fridge with that cheap fridge magnet she'd bought me as part of a Christmas gift one year.

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" The note said. It looked like it had been written rather angrily, judging by the harsh strokes of the felt marker she had used, and the triple set of lines under 'where'.

I turned the note over and picked up the marker that was on top of the fridge itself.

"WHERE WERE YOU?!" I wrote on it, tacking it back onto the fridge.

I took a quick shower, and got dressed, making sure I had everything before I left for my official first day at my new job. It was a brisk morning, so I walked quickly to the building, which was about as far from my place as Katie's was. I entered the building to see Pandora, the cheery, if slightly ditzy looking receptionist sitting at her desk. She looked up and greeted me with a cheery grin.

"Mornin' Emily! How are you?" She asked.

I smiled in reply. "Morning, Pandora. I'm well, thank you. Can you tell me where I need to go for my first day?"

"Of course! Just head to the HR office down the hall, and they'll get you sorted with the paperwork and stuff. They'll give you your ID and everything will be whizzer!"

The paperwork took about an hour, which also included a crappy Polaroid photo for my ID. I looked like I'd just been caught in the act! I headed to Naomi's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

I opened the door, and went in, to find Naomi once again sitting behind her desk. "Hi." She said, smiling across the room at me. Have I mentioned she's actually really beautiful? Not in a supermodel sort of sense, you understand, but in a classical sort of way. I'm pretty sure I could spend hours looking at her blue eyes... They are pretty striking.

"Hi. Sorry I'm a bit late, the paperwork took longer than expected." I said, sitting in the chair across from her.

She shook her head and smiled. "It's no trouble, I was actually looking through the schedule for today. You and I aren't actually doing any testing, seeing as it's your first day, but we get to play observer. Ben tells me you didn't get to see an actual demo yesterday?"

"N-no, something about a staff shortage?"

"Ah, yeah... My working partner quit yesterday, unexpectedly. The way it works here is... We work in pairs. We test products as a team, either solo or together, and then we compare our notes, and then I'll compile the appraisals and email them off. Once you've been here a while, we will probably get you started on compiling as well... It cuts down on the downtime around here, sometimes."

"Downtime?" I asked.

She peered at me curiously. "Just... How much did Ben tell you about our testing methods?"

I shrugged. "If I remember correctly, he said that you use testing methods that gauge product satisfaction."

She looked at me, and then her eyes widened when I didn't say anymore. "That's IT? That's all he told you?!"

"Uhm...yeah."

"Oh, _fuck!_" She groaned, covering her face with her hands. "I knew he was desperate to find someone, but... Christ, I swear he's getting dementia in his old age."

"Uh... Sorry, I don't quite understand..."

"Emily... This company prides itself on it's reputation as the number one manufacturer of intimate items for women, specifically sex toys. One of the company's missions is to provide a... Personal touch, in the form of, well, I guess you could call it up-close-and-personal quality control methods."

"Up close and personal?" I said, my own eyes widening. "What do you..." And then the penny dropped. I gasped. "Oh..._shit! Seriously?!_"

Naomi nodded, a smirk on her lips. "'Fraid so. The best way to ensure a product is good, the company discovered, was to have a team of testers who had actual experience with their products."

I took this in for a moment. "So...what... Masturbation for the greater good?"

Naomi laughed. It was a bright sound, and it made my stomach flutter. "I guess you could call it that... But also... Well, we do work in pairs." She said, letting the statement hang in the air.

I swallowed. "_Oh_. I guess that makes it having sex for the greater good, then."

"Putting it bluntly, yeah. Although I prefer the term 'orgasms for the greater good'. Has a nicer ring to it, I think."

I laughed. "Jesus, no wonder this job pays so good." I said. "And you've been doing this two years?"

"Mmhmm. I needed the money at the time, and once I got over the initial shock of it, well... There are worse jobs."

"Wow." I said, sitting there silently as I took it all in. I hadn't had sex in months, apart from the two-finger-shuffle, and I was going to get to fuck for a paycheck?

"So...now that I've given you the real scoop on what we do here... Are you five seconds from running from the building screaming... Or are you still interested?" Naomi asked.

I thought it over for a brief second. I needed the money, that was true. After my suspicions about Mandy, I needed to leave her, that was also true. I also felt like I wanted to do it sooner, rather than later.

"I'm in." I found myself saying.

"Are you absolutely sure? You seemed a bit hesitant." Naomi said, seriously.

I bit my bottom lip. "Uh...can I be honest?"

"Please." Naomi nodded.

I sighed. "I don't know whether this is too much information, seeing as you don't know me, but seeing as from what you say, we will be...uh...working together closely..."

"Just tell me, Emily. I'm not about to judge you." Naomi said, smiling politely.

I nodded. "Well, you remember I told you I had a partner?"

She nodded. "A jealous one, if I remember rightly."

"Yeah. To be honest, things haven't been going well lately, and I have a suspicion she is cheating on me."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that." She said, with sympathy in her eyes.

"Anyway... I can't be completely sure, but it's enough to make me rethink my relationship... To be completely honest with you, our sex life has been non existent the past few months." I explained.

"Oh. Well, that sucks." Naomi said.

"Yeah. So... I'm planning on walking out on her soon, because I clearly deserve better than a possessive partner who isn't possessive enough to actually sleep with me, who is probably shagging someone else." I said.

"Ouch. I'm sorry, that must be hard."

I shrugged. "I'm over it, to tell you the truth." I said. "I took this job because I need the money, and the pay is really good. Hell, for £60 an hour, I'd dance naked in Trafalgar Square." I laughed. "Uh... So yeah... I'll still take the job. It'll kill two birds with the one stone."

Naomi looked at me for a moment, before the meaning of what I said us in. "Ah. Cash, and... Scratching an itch?" She said, her eyebrow raising itself.

I nodded. "Is that weird?"

Naomi chuckled. "I've seen and heard worse. There was a girl who came for an interview once, who bolted when she was taken for the demonstration we give all prospective employees."

"She ran?"

"Actually, no... She ran as far as the one of the floor to ceiling windows, and smacked into it... Poor girl broke her nose." Naomi said, a smirk on her lips.

"Oh, god! Poor girl." I laughed.

"Emily..." Naomi began. "Thank you for being honest with me. I'm sorry you're having personal problems. But I did mean what I said yesterday, though... About treating this like any other job. True, there are times when it will be pleasurable... But it's mostly for, I guess, clinical reasons, yeah?"

I nodded. "I understand."

"Ok." Naomi nodded. "Well... If you wouldn't mind following me into the board room, we can get started on showing you our appraisal criteria." She said, standing up.

By the time we were due to clock out, Naomi had run through the appraisal side of my new job, tutoring me on the various criteria involved in our particular...uh...form of product testing.

"I had no idea this was so..._interesting_." I said, as we walked back to her office.

Naomi laughed. "Yeah, neither did I when I started here. But it gives you an appreciation for the fact that the product that makes it to the consumer is properly tested to specifications. It's not just a case of making a rubber cock and praying it gets a girl off."

"...Well put." I smirked.

"That's another thing. You sort of have to have a sense of humour with this job. It's not all serious, it's a lot of fun, too." Naomi said, sitting back behind her desk. "Do you have any questions, after today?"

"Uhm..." I thought for a moment. "Not that I can think of."

Naomi nodded. "I do try and cover everything...thoroughly." She said, staring right at me.

"Oh, you have." I replied.

She smirked, and then looked up at the clock. "I guess you've had enough to take in for one day. You can head home, and I'll see you here tomorrow. Be here at nine."

"I will." I replied, standing up. "Thanks... For your help today."

Naomi smiled. "Not a problem, Emily. The first couple of days here can be a bit of a shock... So I'm glad to help you through it."

"I appreciate it." I replied. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Take care." She said, as I walked out the door.

When I got home, I opened the door to find Mandy sitting on the sofa, dressed like she was about to go out for a night on the town. She got up and crossed the room, her tall frame dwarfing me like it usually did. She pulled me into an overly tight, overly possessive hug. For the first time, I registered exactly how they made me feel, and it wasn't a good feeling. Neither was the scent of the expensive perfume that I'd bought her for her last birthday. I knew she only wore it when she was wanting to have sex with me. And seeing as that hadn't happened in months... Why was she wearing it?

"Where have you been?! I got home late last night and you weren't here!" She said.

"I spent the night at Katie's." I replied, shrinking out of her arms.

"You know you should have called and let me know. You know I worry about you when you aren't here with me." She said, stroking my hair. "I'm glad you're here. I have a work thing to go to tonight, so I'll be out till late."

"_Again?_" I asked, feigning disappointment.

"I'm sorry, schnookums." She said, kissing my forehead. I hate it when she calls me that, with that condescending tone. "I really can't get out of it. But I'll be back later and we can talk then, ok?"

I nodded, sighing. She hugged me once more (crushed me with her limbs, more like), and then left me standing in the sitting room.

"Bye..." I said, mostly to myself as the door closed behind her. I threw my keys onto the coffee table and sat down. I sniffled, as I felt tears prick at my eyes. "I'm not putting up with this shit anymore, Mandy." I said, out loud.

I took my phone out of my pocket and dialled Katie's number.

"_Hey Emsy._" She answered.

"Katie... She's just done it again."

"_Who? Mandy?_"

"Yeah. She's just left here claiming she had some work thing." I explained. "Only she was dressed like she was going on a fucking date. Wearing the bloody perfume I bought her."

"_What? Not the perfume she wears when-_"

"YES, Katie. The same fucking perfume she wears when she's intending on getting me into bed!" I snapped. "Only it's not me she's intending on screwing."

"_Fucking bitch! Ok, I'm coming around._" Katie replied.

"Katie... I have to get out of here. Permanent like." I said. "I know it's a big ask, but... Can I stay at yours for a bit? Just until I can find my own place."

"_That's the funny thing about being twins, Emsy. I was going to suggest the same thing. You can't stay there._"

"I know." I said. "You sure it's ok?"

"_Sure. Stay as long as you need._" Katie replied. "_I'll be over shortly._"

By the time Katie knocked on the door, I had an overnight bag packed, and had written a note for Mandy and stuck it on the fridge.

"What about the rest of your stuff?" She asked.

"She apparently works so much, she'll barely notice any of it is missing. I've left a note saying you need me at yours for a few days. That'll give me enough time to beg for a day off work so I can pick up the rest of my stuff." I explained. "I told Naomi what was going on, so with any luck she'll be sympathetic."

"Who's Naomi?" She asked.

"New workmate. She was taking me through the ins and outs of my job." I said. "She's nice enough, I guess."

"Straight or gay?"

"Gay, I'm assuming. I can't imagine a straight girl testing sex toys with a female partner, can you?"

"Well, no I gue- _**WHAT?!"**_

I laughed. "I'll explain on the way." I said, opening the front door, closing and locking it behind us. We walked downstairs, and Katie loaded my bag into the back seat, as I got into the front passenger seat of her hot pink Mini.

"So, spill, Emsy! I want an explanation..." She said, turning the key in the ignition and beginning the drive back to her flat.

* * *

**A/N#2: Ok, so I've kicked Mandy out of the script at this point, but she may make a reappearance. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!**

***plots*  
*evil grin***

**:-P**

**More soon!**

**Until next time... I hear my pillow calling...**

**~GN~ xo**


	3. Vodka And Sympathy

**A/N: Greetings, everyone! Thank you SO much for all the reviews, favourites, follows and such, I think this morning was the first time I've woken up to find 25+ emails in my inbox, the majority of which were related to this little tale I've got going here! So, thank you all! :-)**

**Now, I have actually written a plan for this one, and a loose plot outline, so this one actually has some direction. Of sorts. LOL**

**Anyway, this chapter again mostly wrote itself, and it does contain a Cigarette Warning™, though...well, actually I'm not going to give anything away, you'll just have to read on...lol**

**That said, on with it, then...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own skins. The characters, neither, but I'd definitely snuggle them if I could. And maybe shag them stupid... Any and all typos are a complete and total lie.**

* * *

**(Naomi POV)**

It was about an hour and a half after work when I was about ten steps from the entrance of my favourite pub, when a group of drunken boys came stumbling out of it, almost knocking into me in the process.

"Oh, sorry darlin'" one of them grinned at me. "Here, you're good lookin'... Fancy some company, or what?"

I gave him a tight smile. "Or what, mate. You're not my type, y'know?"

"Aww, why not? Too tall? Too muscular?" He leered.

"Too _male_." I smirked back, walking past him, as his mates hollered their amusement.

"Aww, c'mon babe... I can make you feel alright..."

I rolled my eyes. "You couldn't make me feel alright if you stapled your tongue to my clit and stood on a cement mixer." I smirked, continuing on towards the door.

"Fucking dyke!" He muttered.

I stopped and turned to him. "You know, what...I was willing to let it go, but comments like _that_ is why you're gonna be at home later tonight wanking your pathetic pencil dick rather than getting a decent shag from a warm bodied female." I said, as his friends began to laugh. "You can pretty much fuck off now with the rest of your mates, and think twice before you open your bladdered mouth again, yeah? Because the next woman you proposition might just kick you in the marbles, rather than give you an earbashing!"

I turned back to the pub entrance and walked inside, looking for Effy. We always met at the pub after work for a drink or two, bitching about our respective jobs. She worked in an adult shop, and had done for the past three years. She happened to bring home the copy of Hustler one day, the one that had the job ad in it, and the rest, as they say...

"Naoms!" I heard her call from the booth in the corner. I waved and signalled to her if she would like another drink. She nodded, and I walked up to the bar.

"One pint, one vodka screwdriver." I said to the girl behind the bar, who nodded and then set about serving the drinks. I handed over a tenner and waited for my change, then picked up both drinks and made my way through the crowd over to the booth where Effy was. I sat down across from her and placed her drink in front of her. "Alright?"

"Usual dreary day. What about you? How's the new girl?"

"Emily?" I asked, taking a sip from my pint. "Uh...yeah. Alright, I s'pose. I ran her through the admin stuff today. D'you know that wanker Dover didn't even properly tell her what we do?"

Effy smirked. "And she still took the job?"

I nodded. "She had her reasons." I said.

"Oh?" She said, raising her eyebrow.

"Personal stuff."

"Right." Effy replied.

"Anything interesting happen in your neck of the industry today?"

She shrugged. "Apart from some meek schoolteacher looking type who came in and bought an entire bondage starter kit, not really."

I laughed. "I bet she's one of those outwardly innocent girls who turns into a _total_ slut in bed."

Effy smirked. "Judging by the added purchase of nipple clamps and a ball gag, I'm assuming so."

I gave a low whistle. "Nice!"

"What about ...whatshername...Emily. Did she...perform to expectations?"

"Ah. Wouldn't know, we haven't got that far yet. I think I need to ease her into it, somehow."

Effy sipped her screwdriver. "How do you ease someone into fucking for the purpose of research?"

I thought for a moment. "She hasn't had the demo yet."

She smirked again. "Oh. _That's_ going to be interesting." She said. "What sort of personal issues?"

"Erm... She has a girlfriend."

"Oh, I bet that went down well. 'Hi honey, I got a new job today where I am _probably_ going to spend half of it on my back with my legs spread, while a hot blonde fucks my brains out in the name of research. What's for dinner?' Yeah, I can _totally_ see that conversation."

I laughed and took another sip from my pint. "I doubt that's the conversation that occurred. From what Emily told me she's a jealous possessive type. I doubt she's even told her about the job."

"Oh."

"Besides, from what she told me, she suspects her partner is cheating on her. She's planning on walking out on her."

"Ah." Effy replied. "Well, good for her." She took another sip of her drink. "So? What's she like?"

I thought for a moment, picturing Emily in my mind. "Shorter than me... Brown eyes, red hair... But not ginger, like... Cherry red. Darkish cherry red. She's actually rather cute." I explained.

"Ah-huh." Effy smirked.

I raised my eyebrow. "What?"

Effy shook her head and looked at me with her all knowing laser gaze. "Have you heard from Sophia?"

I drained the rest of my pint and set the glass back on its damp coaster, shaking my head. "I called her, left a message... but she hasn't called me back."

"She's just...disappeared?"

"Yep." I replied. "So much for the decent working relationship I thought we had, she can't even apologise or explain."

Effy stared at me. "Are you sure it was _just_ a working relationship?"

"She never stayed the night at mine, if that's what you're asking. Might have shagged her out of hours a few times." I shrugged.

"Right."

"What? I was up for it, so was she, I made her scream, everyone was satisfied." I said. "It's not like she was in love with me or anything, nor I her. You know how I am."

"Like I could forget."

I sighed. "That's not fair, Eff."

"Sorry."

"You want another drink?" I asked, looking to her nearly empty glass.

"Nah, I've got a date." She replied.

"Oh?"

"Yep." She said, looking at her phone. "And I'm late. Don't wait up, yeah?"

"Do I ever?" I laughed. "Have fun."

"Always do." She said, smirking at me as she walked to the pub door.

I got up and walked to the bar, ordering another pint, and waiting patiently for it. For some reason, I felt someone like someone was watching me. I thanked the bartender for the pint, handing over a fiver to pay for it, and turned around to see a newly familiar face sitting in a booth in the opposite corner of the bar, nursing a half full glass of coke that was sitting in front of her. There looked to be something contemplative about the way she was gazing at the glass, and it tugged at something inside me. I went over to the booth and slid into the seat across from her.

"Emily... Fancy seeing you here." I said. She looked up at me, eyes wide in surprise.

"Oh...hi." She replied, with a gentle smile.

"What brings you here?"

"Oh, I just... Needed some time to think, I suppose." She said.

"Ah. I can leave you be if you like... I don't want to intrude." I offered.

"N-no... It's ok." She said, smiling politely, but it quickly faded. My brows knitted together.

"Are you ok?" I asked. "I know the first couple of days is a lot to take in, but you look a bit..._troubled_, I guess?"

She took a sip of her drink and looked at me, shaking her head. "It's nothing to do with the job, I... I'm just trying to think about what to do next, that's all."

"Oh." I replied. "You mean...about your partner?"

Emily nodded. "You know how I said I suspected she was cheating on me?" I gave a little nod. "Yeah, well... I'm more or less certain of it now."

"Ah. What makes you so sure?" I asked. "If you don't mind talking about it, that is... You look like you could use an ear."

"I got home and she was all inquisitive about where I spent last night." Emily began. "I stayed at my sister's, because Mandy - that's my girlfriend - had gone out the night before and virtually lied about where she was. I just wasn't in the mood to be around her if she came back, I suppose."

"How do you know she lied?" I asked, and Emily looked at me curiously. "Uh... Not that I'm saying she didn't, I don't know her from a bar of soap, but you must have your suspicions."

"Fair point." She replied. "Mandy's an accountant."

"Oh, life and soul of the party then." I smirked. Emily giggled. "Sorry, I shouldn't interrupt. Go on."

"It's fine." She said. "Anyway, she finishes work at five, yeah? After I got home, I went to take a shower, and when I got out, she was gone. She left me a note saying she was needed at the office." She paused to drink some more of her coke. "Except it was after seven when she left."

"Oh." I replied. "And that got you thinking?"

"It was one thing that got me thinking, yes. One of a number of things. But it didn't really click until this evening when I got home."

"What happened?"

"She was dressed up for a night out. Apparently some work function." Emily said, gently rotating the glass in front of her. "Only she was wearing perfume that I bought her for her birthday. Perfume she _only_ wears when she intends on getting some."

"Oh, shit." I said, reaching across to place my hand on top of hers. "And you and her haven't..."

Emily shook her head. "Honestly, I can't even remember the last time."

"That's harsh. I'm sorry, Emily." I said, genuinely.

"I packed a bag." She said, quietly. "I've had enough, y'know? I thought I could handle the lack of attention and intimacy, but I've thought about it a lot in the past couple of days. I'm staying at my sister's until I can afford a new flat. But I needed some time to myself, so I came here for a drink."

"How did she handle the news? Mandy, I mean." I asked, sipping my lager.

Emily shook her head. "I haven't told her. She left right after I came home. I left her a note."

"What did it say, if you don't mind my asking?"

She shrugged. "Just that I was staying at Katie's for a few days. I don't actually want to be around her... Not when she doesn't give a shit about me." She said. "I'll just go around there while she's at work and pick up my other stuff. Actually... I was wondering if I could get a day off this week to do so. I know it's short notice and I've only just started, but-"

I held up my hand. "It's fine, Emily. I don't see why not...given the circumstances. Seeing as it's mid week, you and I won't be actually testing until next week. And Fridays we don't actually have a test schedule, we work on paperwork and the like... Seeing as you're only new, I can allow you to have Friday off to sort yourself out, if you like."

"Really?" She asked, relief in her eyes. "I'd really appreciate it very much."

"Of course." I nodded. "Whatever I can do to help."

She downed the rest of her drink. "Thanks, Naomi."

"Welcome." I replied, with a smile. "She's mad, by the way." I added, after finishing my own pint. "For cheating on you, if she is. I know we don't know each other very well, but you seem like a good person."

Emily blushed, and it struck me how cute that was. "Now you're just using flattery."

I grinned. "Maybe a little, but I'd call it being truthful, at this point." I replied. "Can I get you another drink?"

"Oh, uh..."

"C'mon. You look like you could do with an ear, and I'm happy to lend you mine if you want."

"If it's no trouble?"

I shook my head. "Nah. Besides, might as well get to know each other, yeah? What'll you have?"

Emily smiled, and shook her fringe out of her eyes. It was lopsided, cut sort of on a slope, and it looked adorable. "Jäger and coke."

I smirked and nodded as I stood up. "Nice choice. Be right back, yeah?" I said, walking back to the bar. I ordered the drinks and couldn't help but feel bad for Emily's situation. Ok, so I wasn't much of a relationship person, but I knew this was affecting Emily. There was something about her tone and her body language that told me that this was bothering her. And the least I could do was let her talk about it. Not only that, I kind of liked her. We were going to be working together after all, so it made sense that we should at least get to know each other personally a little bit.

The bartender set the two drinks in front of me, and I picked them up and walked back to the booth. "There you go... Jäger and coke for you, and another pint for me." I said, as I sat back down across from her.

"Thanks." Emily said, with a nervous smile. "So... How did you end up working at TI?"

"Oh, _uh_... Funny story, really. My best friend was reading a magazine and it had an ad for product testers. She called for an interview and left my name." I said.

Emily looked at me curiously. "Erm... It wouldn't have been _Hustler_, by any chance? June 2011?"

I counted back in my head. That was about the time I got the job. "Could have been." I shrugged. "You?"

She shrugged, and gave me a small smile.

Both my eyebrows raised as I realised we'd both got the job out of the same ad, in the exact same magazine. "That's some coincidence." I said, a smirk crossing my lips. "It's also strange, as far as I know, the company stopped advertising in magazines about six months ago."

"Yeah, that's what the receptionist told me." Emily laughed. "I was reading through the magazine for..._uh_...something to do." She said, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

I raised my eyebrow suspiciously. "Uh huh. For the articles, right?" I grinned.

"Well, uh..." She stammered, picking up her drink and taking a sip. She placed it back down and pushed her red locks behind her ears and looked at me sheepishly. "I was a bit frustrated, to tell you the truth."

"So you answered a job ad out of a two year old porno?" I laughed.

"Ah... Yeah, I sort of forgot how old the issue was." She grinned. Wow, she was cute when she smiled. "I wasn't even sure I'd have any luck with it, honestly."

I nodded. "I guess it's lucky for you that my colleague quit yesterday." I said, taking another long sip of lager.

"Yeah, Mr Dover did say someone quit unexpectedly." Emily replied. "Is he serious with that name, or what?"

I laughed. "You know, I've always thought of him as part of some dodgy double act... 'Ben Dover and Phil McCracken'."

Emily's eyes went wide, and she burst into a fit of giggles. "You're funny."

I shrugged. "I've got an odd sense of humour. Like I told you, it's a job you have to have one for."

"Good thing I've got one, then." She replied. Her attention drifted to the pub door, and she then shrunk further into the booth. "Oh, shit!"

"What?"

"Mandy just walked in." She said. I turned to the door to see a taller woman than me enter the pub, holding hands with a brunette women who was wearing a stereotypical little black dress and heels. In fact, it looked as though the were all over each other. I looked over at Emily, who had a look on her face that was a combination of anger and hurt. Uh oh, this _wasn't_ good.

"Are you ok?" I asked.

Emily drained the rest of her drink. "If she finds me here, I'll never hear the end of it."

"Right." I nodded, drinking the rest of my pint quickly. "Come on, then." I said, sliding out of the booth.

"Where are we going?"

"Anywhere but here." I said, taking her hand in mind as she stood up. "Just follow me, I'll make sure she doesn't see you, yeah?"

Emily nodded, and I led her through the thankfully plentiful crowd, staying away from the brighter lights of the pub. It's a good thing Emily was shorter than me, or else it would have been tricky, but soon enough, I led her out of the pub door and out into the street. She started walking, and I followed, seeing as she still had her hand in mine, and didn't seem to be letting go anytime soon. By the time we had stopped, we were in a square a couple of blocks away from the pub. Emily's hand left mine and she sat down on a bench, putting her head in her hands.

"I can't fucking believe this, normally I love it when I'm right, but... Fuck!" She mumbled, as I sat down next to her. I put my arm around her shoulder to comfort her, gently rubbing her arm with my hand. It seemed like the right thing to do, somehow.

"I'm sorry, Emily." I offered.

She shook her head. "It's not your fault."

"No, but it's still a shit situation." I replied. "Want me to go back and punch the shit out of her?" I said, trying for humour.

Emily laughed, but it was humourless. "You're gonna have to get in line for that one, Katie wants to beat the shit out of her already. She's gonna hve a fit when she hears this."

"Katie? Oh... Your sister?"

Emily sighed. "My twin."

I blinked. "There's two of you?" I asked. "Wow."

Emily shook her head. "Don't get your hopes up." She joked. "She's straight as an arrow."

"Ah."

Emily ran her fingers through her hair. "Jesus fucking Christ." She muttered. "Well, that's it. I'm _definitely_ leaving her now." She added, sadness in her tone.

"I thought you had already decided that. It sounded pretty definite from what you told me." I replied.

"Yeah well..." She started. "I wasn't entirely sure she was cheating on me. I think I just had that confirmed into 'why didn't I see this months ago' territory. _Christ_, I'm such a fucking _idiot_."

"Hey... No you're not." I said, trying for sympathy. "If anything, she's the idiot."

Emily smiled weakly. "Thanks, but you don't really know me."

I thought for a moment. She had a point. "Ok, you've got me there. But I know enough to know you deserve better than her. No one deserves to be cheated on, Emily."

Her shoulders slumped slightly as she exhaled a deep, shaky breath. "_Fuck_." She said, her shoulders beginning to shake as she started to cry softly. My sympathetic side took over, and I pulled her into my arms and hugged her, letting her cry on my shoulder. After a few minutes, she sniffled and pulled away from me. "I'm sorry." She mumbled.

"Don't be." I said, shaking my head. "Come on. I'm taking you back to mine. You could use another drink after that."

"No, I-" She protested.

"Emily. You can use a friend right about now, yeah?"

"But we-"

"Shhh." I said, placing my finger against her lips. "Forget that we work together, ok? I'd feel bad if I let you go home."

She sighed, and nodded. "Ok." She whispered.

* * *

About half an hour later, we were entering my flat. At least Effy wasn't home, so I wouldn't have to explain Emily's presence, nor put up with my best friend's all-seeing eyes. I loved her to pieces, but Jesus, she could be annoying at times.

"Nice place." Emily said.

"Thanks." I replied. "Uh... Go on into the sitting room and I'll grab us both a drink... Vodka ok?"

Emily shrugged. "Sure."

I went into the kitchen and retrieved a new bottle of vodka from the freezer, and a couple of glasses, placing a couple of ice cubes in each.

"Here we are..." I said, walking into the sitting room and sat down. I filled Emily's glass half full with vodka, hearing the ice in the glass crack as the liquid spilled over the cubes, and then handed it to her.

"Thank you." She said, softly. She took a long sip as I filled my own glass and screwed the cap back onto the bottle.

"Cheers." I said, clinking our glasses together and taking a sip myself.

"You didn't have to do this, you know. I could have just gone home."

I shook my head. "I wanted to."

"Why?" She asked.

I shrugged slightly. "I guess I must like you." I said, with a gentle smile.

"What?"

My eyes went wide. "Oh, not like that...just... As a person." I said, nervously. Wait...why was I nervous?

_Maybe because she's gorgeous, vulnerable and come Monday you're going to be shagging her on a regular basis...you twat._

(**_Shut UP, brain!_**)

"Huh. I see." She mused.

"Besides...it wouldn't be pro-"

"If you say professional, I'm going to laugh my arse off." She said, cutting me off. "I'm already in your flat, Naomi. I think we've overstepped 'professional', don't you?" She added, drinking the rest of her glass. "D'you mind?" She asked, gesturing to the bottle.

I shook my head. "Go ahead."

She unscrewed the lid on the bottle and poured herself another measure. "You're right, you know. About Mandy."

"Oh?"

Emily nodded as she sipped her drink. "Yeah. I was good to her. Maybe too good, I don't know..."

"Well, that means it makes less sense." I said, after draining my glass and refilling it. "If you were good to her, why did she stray?"

"Christ knows." She replied. "If I was crap in bed, I could understand... But she never complained... Far from it." She added, smiling a lazy half smile.

"Well, that's good to know." I smirked. "I'd hate to think I was working with someone who didn't have..._skills_."

Emily laughed, and took another sip of vodka. "What criteria does the company have for hiring people? I mean... Do you basically just hire the ones who don't run out the door as soon as you spell it out, or what?"

"Fair question." I nodded. "Obviously you have to be open minded, and you have to enjoy sex to some degree. Apart from that, the staff get trained in our appraisal criteria. That's pretty much it... Largely it's up to the employee... To see if they can handle it."

"I see." Emily replied. "And what about...well... Personal involvement between staff?"

I looked at her curiously, and she stared back at me with wide, almost innocent eyes. For a brief flicker, it sort of felt wrong that she'd taken the job to begin with, but then I reminded myself that she did take the job voluntarily. It wasn't like we held a gun to her head. "I'll be bluntly honest with you, Emily..."

"Please do."

I pursed my lips together before opening my mouth again to speak. "It's not endorsed, but not frowned upon, either. It happens sometimes... Testers getting involved. But some of us keep it separate from the job, you know?"

"You sound like you're speaking from experience?" She replied, pouring herself another drink.

I nodded. "Yeah. I was sleeping with the girl you replaced." I admitted. "She left and fucked off to Paris without a trace, basically."

"Oh." Emily said. "Sorry."

I shook my head. "Eh, it was purely casual. I'm not really a relationship type of person. Too many strings."

"I know what you mean, I think I'm off relationships for a while, too. It's too easy to get your heart trampled." She frowned. She then took a long sip from her glass and placed it on the coffee table, the ice cubes clinking against each other. She leaned against the back of the sofa and sighed, deeply. "I can't believe she fucking cheated on me." She whispered, to no one in particular. She remained silent for a few long moments.

"Are you going to be ok?" I asked, refilling my glass once more.

"You know... I dreaded it... I thought it would be more of a shock. But... It's not."

"No?"

Emily shook her head. "Nope." She said, before pausing. "I mean, I'm pissed off, yeah... And wondering what I did wrong, but... I don't know. I guess I don't love her as much as I used to. It just doesn't feel the same anymore."

"So... That makes it easier?"

Her eyes closed and she sighed again. "Mmm. Guess it does." She murmured. I finished my glass and set it on the table next to Emily's. I looked over at her, seeing her half opened eyes looking back at me. "Thanks... For bringing me here."

"No trouble." I said, shaking my head. "I couldn't very well let you be alone."

"I needed someone." She said.

"Yes."

"And you were there."

I nodded.

"Hmm." She murmured, a lazy grin spreading across her lips. "Very altruistic of you, Naomi."

"Ha." I smirked. "You're drunk."

"Mmm... Little bit." She grinned, holding up her hand and indicating a small amount with her index and middle finger. I wonder what those fingers feel li-

_Shut __**UP**__, brain!_

"I'm not the only one, though." She said, poking me in the shoulder.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmhmm... Two pints a the pub, and a couple of vodkas now..."

"Er, actually... Three pints at the pub." I said, sheepishly.

Emily giggled. "Ok, so we are both a little drunk."

I thought for a moment, realising that she was right. I definitely felt warm and tingly and my head wasn't quite spinning, but reality was getting just that little bit blurrier. "How can you tell? Apart from the amount of liquor you've seen me consume..."

She gave me a sly smirk. "Because you keep looking at me."

"I often look at the people I talk to. It lets them know I'm not ignoring them." I grinned.

Emily's smirk faded slightly. "No... You are looking at me with eyes."

"Eyes?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

"You know... _Eyes_, Naomi." She said, lazily. "Eyes that are definitely _not_ innocent."

"Yeah, well... You're good looking." I said, keeping it polite. She was beyond good looking, she was fucking hot, even without the benefit of alco-goggles.

Emily smiled. "Are you being respectably diplomatic?" She asked. "Tell me what you really think, Naomi. C'mon, I've been khonest with you..."

I nodded. "If I said I thought you were totally fucking gorgeous, would you hold it against me?" I asked, tentatively.

She grinned and shook her head. "Nope." She replied. "Because..." She said, and before I knew it, she was sitting in my lap, with her knees either side of my thighs, her fingers linking behind my neck. My heart beat faster, and my stomach dropped as her body's proximity to mine registered in my mind. Before I had a chance to react, she leaned in and placed her lips against mine, kissing me slowly.

Oh, _shit!_ Jesus _fucking_ Christ on a goddamn _bent-as-fuck _crucifix!

Her lips were warm and soft against mine, and I could feel her fingertips threading through the wispy little hairs at the back of my neck. She felt so good, better than I thought, not that I'd really thought that much about it, you understand, but still... Wow. I knew I should resist her, she was vulnerable, and while something about it made me feel nervous, I couldn't stop myself from deepening the kiss, slipping my tongue between her lips and running it gently between them. Fuck me, I know I shouldn't be kissing her like this... And soon enough, she pulled her lips from mine and her head bumped against mine.

"Jesus." Her husky voice croaked. "Ohhhh Christ, that was good." She said, before kissing me again, deeper this time, her fingertips gripping at my shoulders. Her lips trailed down my jawline and down my throat.

"Emily...we _really_ shouldn't..." I protested.

"Why not?" She murmured, gently flicking her tongue down my throat. "It's just sex, isn't it?"

"Yes, but-"

Her hands reached for the collar of my shirt and began to undo the buttons. "But what?" She asked, looking at me with lust in her hooded eyes as she slowly undid the buttons one by one. "We're gonna fuck anyway, come Monday... Why not a test run?"

Oh, _nice_ choice of words, Emily. _Smooth_.

"It wouldn't be right... You're vulnerable, and-"

"I'm _not_ vulnerable right now, I'm fucking _horny as hell_ right now, and I want you." Emily mumbled, between kisses. "I know you want me too. I can tell from the look in your eyes."

I crumbled then, because I knew she was right. I pushed her off me and stood up, taking her hand and practically dragging her down the hall to my bedroom. I slammed the door behind us, and she pulled me into her arms, peeling my shirt off my shoulders and off my arms. I pushed her backwards until she sat on the end of my bed and kneeled down in front of her. I crashed my lips against hers, and again lost myself in another of her sweet hungry kisses. She held me close, slowly snogging me for what seemed like forever when our lips finally parted.

"I forgot how good kissing was..." She whispered. "It's been too long."

I ran my hands down to the hem of her shirt and pulled it upwards, raising the fabric over her head. "I'd better kiss you some more, then... While we still have the chance..."

"Huh?" She asked, confused. It wasn't really much of an answer, but I kissed her again, as I began to undo the top button of her jeans. She moaned into my lips, kissing me back deeply as she reached around me and unclipped my bra, sliding the straps down my shoulders and relieving me of it completely. I reached up to to the same, and then attacked her neck with my lips, flicking my tongue against her pulse point before slowly sucking on it. She groaned against me, and it was a beautiful sound that also shot right through my body. Her fingernails dug into the back of my neck and her other hand reached for mine, sliding it down her stomach and into her open fly. I didn't need any further encouragement, my fingers finding their way into her knickers.

I don't know exactly when the last time Emily had sex was, but it was long enough for her to moan loudly and stiffen against me as my fingers brushed against her soaking wet clit. "Oh, Jesus!" She groaned, crashing her lips against mine and kissing me hungrily as her hand pressed against my own. She was swollen, soaked, and there was no way this was stopping now.

I began to rub my fingers against her, and the movement of her hips matched the motion of my digits as I rubbed the swollen little bud. Her hand left mine, and her arm wrapped around my shoulders as she panted and gasped. "Oh fuck..." She moaned, the motion of her body becoming more urgent. Her breath was hot against my neck as she clung to me, and I quickly slid my fingers downwards and pushed two of them up inside her wet warmth.

"_FUCK!_" She cried, her hips suddenly bucking towards me. "Christ... Oh god, don't stop, _please_..."

So, I didn't. I thrust my fingers inside her, curling them inside her and making her tighten her embrace as she cried out again. I attacked her neck with my lips, sucking hard against her pulse point, and she groaned, segueing into a voice thick with lust that told me, in no uncertain terms that she was going to come. And come she did, her arms almost squeezing the breath out of me completely as her head fell backwards and she rode the pleasurable orgasmic wave.

The next thing I knew, she had pulled me up onto the bed with her, and wriggled out of her jeans, rolling me onto my back and straddling my hips after relieving me of my jeans and underwear. Her fingers quickly found their way inside me, urgently thrusting inside me as her thumb rubbed against my clit and her tongue pushed itself back between my lips. She knew what she was doing with her fingers, too, and it wasn't long before I came just as quickly as she had.

Not even Sophia made me come that fast, or that hard. _Jesus_.

I don't know if it was mutual attraction, or Emily simply needing to scratch a long overdue itch, but we spent half the night shagging, until we virtually passed out in each other's arms. When my eyes peeled themselves open the next morning, Emily was softly, cutely snoring next to me, her arm draped across my naked stomach.

_Oh.__** Fuck.**_

"Emily." I whispered, and she shifted, turning over onto her other side and resuming her snoring. I reached across to stroke her hair, but pulled back before I touched it.

_No_. I _can't_ do this.

Carefully, I got up, and looked back at her, as she rolled over again, her jand reaching out blindly to pull my pillow towards her. She buried her face in it, one leg poking out from under the duvet.

I sighed. "What are you _doing?_" I whispered to myself, before quietly getting some fresh clothes out of the drawer. I took a shower and quickly got dressed, barely saying a word to Effy who was having breakfast in the kitchen.

"Uh...bye then!" I heard her call, as I grabbed my jacket, and closed the front door behind me as I left. I practically ran down the stairs and out into the street, fumbling in my pockets for my pack of smokes. I kept walking as I lit one, taking a deep drag.

_Fuck me, what have I done?!_

* * *

**A/N#2: *rolls credits for this chapter***

**I'm guessing Naomi's more thinking of the implications of her actions, rather than the obvious answer to the "what have I done?" conundrum.**

***ahem***

**The next chapter will be up ASAP. ;-)**

**Until next time...**

**~GN~ xo**


	4. Runouts And The Grand Tour

**A/N: It's 130pm and I'm already half drunk lol I'm chilling with my bestie and drinking vodka and it's really strong so...**

**Anyway... Here is the next chapter of this tale... :-D**

**Dialogue and reminiscences get a little...saucy I suppose. Not so much smut. Sauce Warning™, then I suppose.**

**On with it, then...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own skins. Redskin vodka is fucking awesome! Any and all typographical errors are a complete fabrication...**

* * *

**(Emily POV)**

In the split second before I fully woke up the next morning, in between consciousness hitting me and my eyes opening, the headache hit me. That horribly hungover feeling of my eyes bulging and barbed wire wrapped around my poor dehydrated brain.

Just breathe, Emily. I thought to myself, as I buried my head under the duvet and slowly opened my eyes. "Oh, fuck..." I groaned. I slid my hand out from under the covers and groped around for...

_Hang on._

I groped around a little more... Hmm. That doesn't feel like my bedside table. Oh wait, that's right... I'm staying at Katie's. My head is already throbbing, so I just peel back the duvet and groaned as I let my light sensitive eyes adjust to the light.

...I am _not_ in my sister's flat.

_Think_, Emily.

Went home... Mandy was there...Mandy left...Katie came and picked me up... Oh, right...then I went out to a bar for a drink and a think... Then Naomi found me... Shit, then Mandy came in with...a woman? I remember Naomi getting me out of the bar, and bringing me back to hers, and then we drank some vodka, and...

_Oh god_. That's when I realised that I was naked. And that's when snapshots of memory blinded me all at once. Me straddling Naomi's lap and snogging her like my life depended on it. Naomi's hand in my jeans fingering me as we kissed. Then, of course, the more lurid memories of her head between my thighs as her tongue made friends with that part of my anatomy that had been long neglected...at least in the oral sense. A hot electric shock ran through my abdomen as I remembered the exact moment when a deep growl left my lips, Naomi's skilled fingers thrusting inside me as her very talented tongue kept up a motion against my clit that flooded my body with the strongest climax I'd had in months.

But now, Naomi wasn't there. That was odd, maybe she was in the kitchen, or something?

I shook the tangles out of my post-shag, post-slumber hair, and pulled back the duvet, getting out of bed slowly, to stop my stomach from lurching and making me vomit. I looked around for my clothes, and got dressed, checking my phone. Three text messages from Mandy, and one from Katie.

"_Emily, where are you? xMandyx_"

"_It's late, baby. Where are you? xMandyx_"

"_Emily, it's fucking after midnight. Where the fuck are you?! xMandyx_"

Yeah, _right_. Like she cares. Check the fucking fridge, you stupid bitch. Katie's was a little less nosy.

"_Hey, Ems. Hope you are ok... I'm leaving for work early, so I'll see you at home later. xoKatieox_"

I put my phone back in my pocket and left the bedroom, to find a brunette woman sitting at the kitchen table. I froze, and she looked up at me.

"Uh... Hi." I said.

"'Morning." She said, with a polite smile.

I stood there, doing my best fish out of water impression while I thought of what to say next.

"Uhm... I don't suppose..."

"She left about ten minutes ago. I'm assuming you're the reason she left without saying a word." She said, matter-of-factly.

I screwed up my nose, nervously. "I'm not sure. I'm-"

"Emily." She said, finishing my sentence. "If I understood Naomi's description right, that is."

"Ah. Yeah." I replied.

"I'm Effy." She said. "I'm Naomi's flatmate. Would you like some coffee?"

I checked my phone for the time. It was just before seven-thirty. I shrugged. "Uhm... A glass of water might be better." I said, holding my hand to my throbbing head.

"Ah...hungover." Effy nodded. "Take a seat." She said, indicating the seat opposite hers. I walked over and pulled the chair out, sitting down in the chair, as she got up and got me a large glass of water. She set it down in front of me, along with two small white tablets. "Not trying to drug you... Painkillers. For the headache."

"Thanks." I said, downing the pills and taking a long drink.

"She likes you, you know."

"What?"

"Naomi." Effy replied.

"She barely knows me. I didn't mean to end up here last night... It got a bit...complicated." I said, taking another sip of the cool water.

"It didn't sound very complicated at two in the morning when you were screaming her name." Effy smirked. I choked on the glass of water, spluttering and coughing. "Careful, you want to make it out of here alive, I'm assuming."

"Yeah, well..." I said, wiping my mouth dry. "...like I said, it's complicated."

"She told me something about you having partner issues."

I raised my eyebrow. "She did?"

Effy nodded. "Don't worry, it wasn't in a gossipy manner. Naomi's not that type of person. I was merely intrigued about her new workmate." She said.

Oh, fuck. I was going to have to face her at work in a couple of hours.

"How much did she tell you?"

"You think your partner is cheating on you."

"I don't think that." I said, bitterly. "Last night I got confirmation of it."

"Ah. I'm sorry to hear that. She also said you were thinking of walking out on her?"

"I was. I'm halfway through doing it."

"Halfway?"

"Yeah... I'm staying at my sister's until I find a place." I explained. There was something a little odd about telling this to someone I didn't know. Not bad odd...just... Oh, whatever, I spent last night shagging my co-worker, how odd can it really get after that?

Did you forget you are going to be shagging her while on the clock?

Yeah yeah, fuck _off_, brain.

Effy smirked at me again. That was annoying me already. "She probably won't be back this morning... You'd best get to work if you want to speak to her about last night."

I blushed and hung my head a little. "I really didn't mean for last night to happen." I said, quietly. "I was drunk and vulnerable, and... Christ. I'm just going to shut up."

Effy laughed softly. "Either way, I don't think it's me you should be explaining that to."

I nodded. "You're probably right." I said, finishing the glass of water. I stood up, and pushed the chair back in. "It was nice meeting you, I should probably get going."

"Emily? Tread lightly with her, yeah? The way she left this morning, I wouldn't be surprised if she's a bit... Freaked out."

"By me?"

"Yes." Effy replied. "But not for the reasons you think."

I nodded. "Thanks for the water."

"No problem." She nodded, as I opened the door and left.

* * *

I went to Katie's and took a shower and got dressed, popping another couple of painkillers to alleviate the rest of the lingering headache, and set off to TI, stopping off on the way for a bacon sandwich, now that my stomach and settled itself and I felt like food. I also got a takeaway latté, figuring I could do with the pick-me-up.

"Hiya Emily!" Pandora beamed, as I entered I the building just before nine.

"Hey, Pandora. How are you?"

She grinned. "Blimey, everyone around here calls me Panda, and I'm whizzer! thanks."

"Panda. Nice." I smiled in reply. She was definitely a cheery sort of girl. "Uh... Is Naomi in yet?"

Panda nodded. "She's in her office."

Oh, good. This would be interesting, I thought to myself. I walked through the corridor and stood in front of her door, raising my hand and knocking on it gently.

"Shit!" I heard from inside. "Uh...come in!"

I opened the door, to see Naomi sitting behind her desk, looking at her computer screen. She looked up and saw me, and I could swear I heard her gulp as she swallowed. "Emily...hi." She said, nervously.

I shut the door behind me, and crossed the room, sitting in the chair in front of her desk. I set my coffee down on the desk, and sat back. The two of us said nothing for a few moments.

"Emily-"

"Naomi-"

Both of us stopped speaking, and laughed nervously. Naomi nodded at me. "You first."

I cleared my throat. "Uhm... I don't really know what to say, to be honest. Last night probably shouldn't have happened." I started. "I got a bit too drunk."

Naomi nodded slowly. "So, you're blaming the alcohol then?"

"Uh..."

She looked at me carefully with her blue eyes. There was something a little...detached about it. "It was just sex...right?"

I nodded. "Yeah. Just sex." I said, sipping my coffee. "Really, really _good_ sex." I added quietly. I couldn't really lie, I know it had been a while, thanks to Mandy finding someone else to shag, but Jesus... I don't think I'd ever had sex _that_ good.

Naomi looked back at me with relief and then gave me a slightly smug smirk. "Well, I guess I can still say I've had no complaints." She joked.

"Oh, I definitely had no reason to complain." I said, casually taking another sip from my coffee. "_Whatsoever_."

Naomi nodded, letting my words hang in the air between us. Could the tension be any thicker in here, or is it just me?

"Well... I suppose we should get started for the day... Oh! I asked Dover about you getting Friday off... He said under the circumstances, it's fine, so that'll give you the chance to do ...uh...what you need to do."

"Really? Thank you so much." I replied.

"No trouble, really. Friday is pretty quiet apart from the paperwork around here, so it's not like it's messing with the schedule." Naomi said. "Anyway, what I wanted to ask was... Exactly how much Dover told you when he hired you. Did he give you the tour?"

"No. Apparently he was busy interviewing all day, and had to make do with a quicker schedule."

Naomi leaned her head back against the headrest of her chair and sighed. "_Perfect_." She muttered. "I knew he was under the pump to find someone, but that's unacceptable, really, considering the job we do here." She added running her fingers through her hair. I couldn't help the brief flash in my mind, of my own fingers gripping her beautiful blonde hair as she-

**_EMILY!_**

Naomi stood up, and shrugged off her jacket, placing it over the back of her chair. "Come on, then... No time like the present." She said, beginning to walk out of the office.

"Is it ok if I bring my coffee?" I asked.

"How much of it do you have left?" She smirked.

"About half, but it's only lukewarm." I replied.

She chuckled, softly. Why did that make my stomach flutter like that? "I suggest you drink it now." She said, seriously. "I know you say you're ok with this, but... Emily... Trust me when I say, it can come as a bit of a shock."

I looked at her for a moment, taking in her serious expression. I drank the rest of my coffee, and raised my eyebrow, tossing the cup into the bin. "Shall we?"

Naomi stared for a few seconds, and then shook herself out of it, opening the door and standing aside to let me out of the room. She led me to a door at the end of the hallway labelled "**TESTING AREA, STRICTLY NO ADMITTANCE WITHOUT CARD OR PERMISSION**". Naomi swiped her ID card against the sensor by the door handle, and it bleeped as the tiny light went green. The door unlocked, and she pulled it open.

"The testing area is card admittance only. Interviewees are not permitted entrance, however, the company does film demonstration videos that are normally shown during the interview."

"Videos?" I asked, surprised. They were going to film me?

"Relax." Naomi laughed. "Unless you give consent, you won't be filmed."

"Oh. Well, that's a relief." I replied. "Pretty sure there's enough lesbian porn in the world."

"I...uh...take it Dover explained we work exclusively together?"

I nodded. "Yeah, something about how it ensures accurate testing results?"

"Correct. The best way to ensure the quality of the product is to work consistently with someone who knows what gets you off." Naomi explained.

"I can see how that would be beneficial." I smirked. "But how do you... Uh..."

Naomi stopped, and turned to me. "Emily... Can I just say... You don't have to be shy around here. In fact, it's better that you don't. It'll be a lot easier to just spit out what you are saying... We're very frank around here, it's the only way to stop everyone from walking around red faced and squirming in their chairs."

"Right." I nodded. "Of course. I guess what I wanted to say was... How do I figure out what gets you off?"

Naomi raised her eyebrow. "You didn't figure it out last night?" I quickly looked around to see if anyone could hear. She stepped closer to me and placed her hand on my shoulder. "It's ok, Emily. It's just you and me at the moment."

I nodded. "Honestly... I'm trying not to think about the fact that we shagged last night. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it...very much. But..."

"You're trying to be professional whilst trying to avoid thinking about how good it was." Naomi concluded.

"Uh...yeah. I guess." I shrugged. "Is that bad?"

Naomi looked at her feet, then her eyes met mine and she shook her head. "No." She said, softly. "Honestly... I'm trying to avoid thinking about it too."

"Oh."

"Emily... I..." She started, before pausing. She took my hand and led me into a small room that had a desk and a chair in it, and shut the door behind us. She leaned against the desk and folded her arms. "Please don't misunderstand me. I enjoyed it, too. But...personal and professional... It's tricky."

"Weren't you shagging the girl I replaced?"

Naomi dropped her hands to her sides, bracing them on the desk, and looking at her feet again. "Yes." She said, quietly. "That was different, though."

"How?" I asked.

She looked into my eyes, and it felt like her own blue eyes were staring right into me, as if she were trying to tell me something. She bit her bottom lip and sighed softly. "She was different. She just... It was just different, that's all."

I looked at her and mulled it over for a moment. "I understand." I replied. There was something she wasn't telling me, but I thought it best to let it slide for the moment, it seemed as though it was something that she might not only tell me in her own time, but it was only my second full day, after all.

"Plus... You're vulnerable... Being in the middle of getting out of a relationship, and all."

I nodded. "I know."

"Anyway... Each employee is expected to fill out a survey before they start testing... It's basically a questionnaire about your sexual tastes... What you like, what you don't like...what you're willing to try..."

"So... Twenty questions about how kinky I am?" I smirked, and Naomi laughed.

"Putting it _bluntly_, yeah."

"Do I get to read yours?" I asked, almost innocently.

"Of course." Naomi nodded. "It wouldn't be fair if you had to discover things about me when I knew everything about what you liked."

"Right." I nodded, and a short silence fell between us. "It's so... Quiet around here."

Naomi smiled. "You expected it to be louder?"

I blushed. "Well, I expected to hear something... Moaning, the odd gasp..." I shrugged.

She chuckled. "The testing rooms are soundproofed. It stops girls from getting... Distracted."

I giggled. "I can see how that would be a problem."

Naomi walked to the door and opened it, allowing me to step past her into the corridor. "The rooms themselves have lights outside the door, to indicate if a room is in use, and the viewing status of the room. There are some girls who don't have an issue with doing what we do, but they are self conscious about other people watching them." She explained. "Each room does have a window, but also a set of Venetian blinds. If a girl doesn't want to be watched, they'll turn the red light on, as well as the green, and close the blinds. It notifies that the room is in use, and..."

"...no one is to watch. Got it."

Naomi smirked at me, much like Effy had that morning. I wonder if she picked that up from her? "You're a quick study."

I shrugged, and smiled sheepishly. "I do my best."

She nodded in reply. "Ok, so... Change rooms at the end of the hall... We also have full bathroom facilities, at the end of the schedule for the day, you'll most likely want to take a shower, freshen up...that sort of thing." She said, as she led me to the end of the hallway and opened the door into what looked like a high school style change room. She pulled a key on a small silver keyring, on which was also a metal casting of the letters TI. "Here..." She said, handing me the keys. "All testers are assigned a locker. It's your responsibility to ensure that at the end of the day, there's a fresh bathrobe and towel in it for use the next day."

"Ok..."

"The towels and robes are in this cupboard here..." Naomi explained, sliding open a large cupboard door. "They're laundered by a local hospital laundry service nightly." She said, as I saw rows of towels and robes neatly stacked on the shelves. "Showers are just through the door in the corner, we also supply toiletries that are in the cupboard on the wall by the mirror... Soap, shampoo and the like." She added, indicating the door.

"Sounds sensible."

"Yeah, well... A lot of the job is physical, so... Sweat is sort of expected." She said, with a shy smile.

"What's a typical day around here?" I asked.

Naomi nodded, as she led me back out of the change room and through the corridor. She stopped in front of a large board that was divided into sections. "This is the schedule board. We also print copies for the testers, which will be available in your pigeon hole every morning. The testing runs in two-hourly blocks, to ensure thorough testing. It's normal that we might test one or two products per day, given the two hour timeframe."

"Two _hours_?" I asked.

"Yeah, it seems like a bit much at first, but it's necessary. You see... We test from both perspectives... For example... I test something on you, you test something on me, yeah? Remember what I told you we look for in the criteria..." She said, as we walked back into her office.

"Yeah, I still need to re-read through it all. I intended to do that last night, but..."

Naomi nodded. "Other things happened." She said, as she sat back behind her desk. I sat opposite and ran my fingers through my fringe.

"Yeah." I said. "Look...um... about last night... Thanks... For being there, I guess. You didn't have to stick with me after all that. It was unexpected, and I'm grateful you did."

Naomi shook her head. "It was no trouble. I couldn't very well leave you alone after that. It must have felt awful."

"It wasn't exactly pleasant."

"I can imagine. How are you feeling about that, by the way?"

I shrugged. "I should be more annoyed, but I'm really not. I suspected it, as I told you... It's still a bit of a shock, but not as much as if I hadn't expected it at all."

"Not like you've been blindsided by it, in other words?" She asked.

"Exactly." I nodded.

"Emily...if it's any consolation, I think you are doing the right thing. No one should stay in a relationship if they are being cheated on." Naomi said."You said Mandy was possessive?"

"Yeah. Always wanting to know where I am, who I am with... Seriously, I can't even see my sister without having a discussion about it. You know she texted me last night...three times, wondering where I was."

"You're kidding?" Naomi asked, her eyebrow raised.

I shook my head. "No. The stupid thing is, I left her a note on the fridge. She obviously didn't bother to look, and just texted me instead."

"Jesus." Naomi scoffed. She sighed, and looked at me. "Sorry, but she's a total bitch... You deserve _better_, Emily. I know we've only just met, but it think I know enough to know that you don't deserve how she is treating you."

"Thanks." I replied. "I know I do, that's why I am getting out. She's just made it so much easier for me to feel less guilty about it."

"Guilty? You have _nothing_ to feel guilty about... Hell, after last night at the bar, I couldn't even feel guilty for sleeping with me last night. Horses for courses, yeah?"

"That's one way of putting it." I shrugged.

"You..don't feel guilty...do you?" She asked, tentatively.

I thought for a moment. The point was, I really didn't. "I don't see a need to feel guilty. If she's fucking someone _else_ and not me... Well, why should she have all the fun?"

Naomi smirked. "Good attitude to have, I suppose. Although, I don't see why she's shagging someone else... If I was her, I wouldn't even entertain the thought."

I raised my eyebrow. "Seriously?"

A blush spread across her cheeks. Aww, that was cute. "I said that out loud, didn't I?" She said, biting her bottom lip. "Sorry."

"Oh, don't be." I smirked. "It's good to know that lacking sex for months hasn't made me...lose my touch."

Naomi laughed. "Definitely not. Nice choice of words, by the way."

"Thanks." I grinned.

"So... I guess the other things about this place are... You will often see girls walking around in not much else, other than a bathrobe." Naomi said. "It's normal... I meant what I said about the consent thing... If you have no wish to be filmed for demonstration, there's no pressure to."

"Have you?"

She shook her head. "I draw the line there, much like you. Not really that much of a public exhibitionist, truthfully."

"Right." I smiled. "How long did it take you to get used to it? The job, I mean."

"Couple of weeks. It was a shock at first, but you learn to detach yourself pretty quickly. Clinical, like I said."

"Sort of like... Science."

She laughed. "Yeah, pretty much. When you think about it, everyone who buys a sex toy does so with the idea that it's going to get them off... True, a lot of that is down to how it's used, but a good percentage of it is also product design. That's where we come in."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, most of the products we test are prototypes. Or new updates of current products."

"Interesting." I said, nodding slightly. A sly smirk crossed my lips. "Sort of strange to know that so much goes into it, really."

"Oh, I know. This job has been a complete eye opener. Even my flatmate had no idea, and she sells them for a living."

"Effy works in a sex shop?"

Naomi's eyes went wide. "You...met Effy?"

"Ah...yeah. I woke up about ten minutes after you left, apparently." I explained. "She made it sound Iike you did a runner.

Naomi's eyes lowered and she blushed again. "I'm really sorry about that." She said, softly. "I... Kind of freaked out a bit, I suppose. Sophia... My previous colleague... She never spent the night. She always left when we were done."

"I see." I replied.

"She didn't give you a hard time?" Naomi asked. "Effy, I mean."

"Not at all. She offered me coffee, but I settled for water and painkillers." I laughed.

Naomi smiled. "Yeah, she's good like that. Really, though... I am sorry for leaving without explanation."

"Don't be. It was just sex, right?"

She paused, and then nodded. "Yeah. Just sex."

But there was something strange about the tone of her voice that told me something different...

* * *

**A/N#2: Hmm... I think Emily might suspect something is up, no?**

**Anyway... I'm off to watch some movies...or something. Probably or something.**

**BYE!**

**Er... Until next time, I mean.**

**:-D**

**~GN~ xo**


	5. The New Product

**A/N: This chapter I am totally blaming on the vodka that I drank for most of yesterday and not on my potentially dirty mind.**

**_*adjusts halo and gives it a polish*_**

**Zero clues... Except a big fat Cigarette Warning™ that applies for this chapter. Oh and a couple of surprises.**

***starts yodelling***

**On with it, then...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own skins. One of these years I really need to go to Oktoberfest... Any and all typos are accidental.**

* * *

**(Emily POV)**

I stood in front of my building, in the early Friday afternoon sunshine. Katie stood next to me, holding my hand. "You alright Ems?"

"Yeah, let's just... get this over with, yeah?" I sighed, beginning to walk into the building. We went up the steps to my floor, and I dug my key out of my pocket. I froze as I placed it into the lock, hearing a definite moan come from inside.

What the **_fuck?!_**

I turned the key and pushed the door open, to see the brunette woman Mandy had been with the other night, sitting on our sofa, stark fucking naked, with Mandy herself kneeling at her feet with her head between her legs.

"Oh yeah, baby, right _there_... God, your tongue...so fucking _good.._." She said, a thick German accent spilling from her lips. Oh, Eastern Europussy. _Nice one_, Mandy.

Yeah, that's true. She sort of was good with her tongue.

_Outrage, Emily. Outrage._

_(Right.)_

"Well." I said, my tone sharp and icy. "I guess _**THIS**_ is why you haven't given **_ME_** oral pleasure, or any other, for that matter...in the past five months!"

I watched as the brunette screamed and pushed Mandy away from her, closing her legs and reaching for her clothes.

"Oh, my god...so sorry! I will just...go and..." She said, pointing to ze bedroom. What?!

"Yeah." I said, nodding curtly. "I think you'd better."

"Emily, what the _**fuck?!**_ I told you to call before you came home!" Mandy said, getting to her feet and casually reaching for her own clothes. "Oh, _hi_ Katie." She said, her tone becoming slightly hostile.

"What do you mean '_what the fuck?!_' - you're the one who is cheating on my sister!"

"Katie..." I said.

"You can _**go**_, Katie. Emily is here now, so we can sort this ourselves. Don't you have some pretty airhead boy to go blow?" She sneered. She then turned to me. "Listen, baby, I can explain..." She said, reaching up to stroke my cheek.

Oh, give me a fucking _bucket_. I shrunk away from her, batting her hand away from my face. "Fuck _you_, Mandy!"

The door to our bathroom opened and the brunette came out, fully dressed. "I think it's best you leave." Katie said, looking at her with steely eyes.

"I was not about to stay." The brunette said nervously.

I grabbed her by the arm on her way past me. "How long?"

The brunette looked at Mandy, who looked back at her sternly. "Brunhilda... Don't."

""Oh, forget it, Mandy. You didn't tell me you had girlfriend. You know how I feel about zis sort of thing." She then turned to me. "Six months. I'm sorry."

I nodded. "I think you had best leave before my sister flogs you one."

"And I think you had better leave too, Katie. Go back to the position you know best... On your back."

"Hey, that's my sister you're talking about!" I piped up.

"Least I've never cheated on anyone, you dirty slut!" Katie snapped, cutting me off. "On my sister's sofa, for Christ's sake!" She added, getting closer,and her voice become louder and lispier.

Mandy towered over Katie, trying to look intimidating, but Katie wasn't having it, I saw her hands form into fists. Uh oh.

"Katie, leave it."

Mandy then turned to me and out her hand on my shoulder, slapping me in the face.

"OW..._FUCK!_" I cried, and within a second there was a commotion as Katie launched herself at Mandy, with her fists swinging.

She cold cocked Mandy right in the jaw and she went down like a sack of spuds. "NO ONE SLAPS MY SISTER, YOU FUCKING _**CUNT!**_" She screamed, laying into Mandy with punch after punch.

I scrambled onto my feet and was on top of Katie in seconds, pulling her back by the shoulders. "Katie! _KATIE_...leave it, babe." I said, my tone scared. "Let's just ...get my stuff and go."

I spent half an hour pottering around the flat, packing up my meagre possessions. I walked back into the sitting room carrying the last bag of stuff. "That everything, Ems?"

"Yeah." I said, quietly.

"No one I will ever love you like I do." Mandy croaked, from behind an ice pack.

"You don't love me, Mandy." I said, my voice cold. "I don't know why you want to fuck Brunhilda, and not me. Six _FUCKING_ months! What's more, y'know what? I don't care. You creep me out anyway. You're freakishly tall. And far too possessive for my taste. I also could never stay with someone who hit me, you cruel bitch."

"But-"

"_Forget it_, you cunt!" Katie snapped. "Come near my sister again and I'll do _more_ than just rearrange your face. You got that?"

Mandy nodded, her body physically shaking.

"By the way, I _saw_ you the other night in the bar, with Brunhilda. Seriously, that name? Does she fuck like a German hooker, as well as sounding like one by moniker?" I sneered. "By the way, I got laid that night, too. Cured the six month drought I had when you were off eating euro sauerclit with a side of pussywurst while I went without from the woman who professed to love me."

Mandy burst into tears at that. Katie scoffed. "You're pathetic."

"Stay away from me. You disgust me." I said, walking out the door as Katie followed, slamming the door behind me.

* * *

The ride to Katie's was silent. When we got there, we unloaded my stuff, and Katie pulled a small bag of frozen peas from the freezer. "Here, out this on your cheek. You're gonna bruise, babes,"

"Fucking _hell_, that's cold!" I winced.

"Can't believe the fucking cunt slapped you." Katie muttered.

"I can't believe you broke her fucking nose!" I replied, slightly irritated. "She's well within her rights to press charges."

"She won't. She almost pissed herself. She's _well_ scared of me." Katie smirked.

"Unbelievable." I muttered. "I'm gonna go lie down." I said, standing up. I walked out of the room, and as I got to the doorway I stopped. I turned around. "Thanks, Katie."

She stood up and came,towards me, pulling me into a Fitch hug. "Anything for my little sister."

* * *

**(Naomi POV)**

**(Three days later)**

Mondays, gotta love them, no? I had no idea how Emily had got on with getting her stuff from her flat, seeing as I didn't actually have her number. For the moment, it seemed better that way, I was trying my damnedest to keep my association with Emily out of hours separate from our working relationship, which hadn't even really developed that much yet, admittedly.

But still, I was concerned for her as a friend. I could understand how rough break-ups were, even if Emily's girlfriend was fucking around on her. I hadn't really meant to sleep with her... But I found her attractive...who wouldn't? She was beautiful, in an understated way. Her brown eyes were so warm and inviting, her lips were soft and she had the cutest little nose, that scrunched up when she as unsure about something. I'd seen it do a lot in the last few days, and the more it happens, the more it made me feel warm inside.

I was sitting at my desk, looking over the schedule for the day, which I liked to do first thing every day when I came in. There was only one item on our schedule today, nice of the head of testing to give Emily an easy day for her first full day. I shook my head, though, noting that the item in question was a new model strap-on that was hoping to be released before the Christmas rush.

I picked up the phone and dialled the product lab, waiting for it to be picked up.

"_Product lab, Jones speaking._"

"JJ, it's Naomi." I replied.

"_Oh, morning Naomi. What can I do for you?_" He asked.

"Listen, mate... It's the new tester's first day... Couldn't you give us something easier than this strap-on? I don't want to scare the shit out of her completely." I explained.

"_I...er...well, you see... No one else is available to test it_." JJ stammered.

"Are you kidding?" I asked, in disbelief.

"_Sorry, Naomi. It's getting to that season, you know. Statistically couples are more likely to purchase items rated for intimate stimulation at lot more prevalently at this time of year, due to the coming Christmas season, and-_"

"Ok, JJ... I get it. Stuck with it, then."

"_Sorry_."

I sighed, as the office door opened and Emily wandered in, closing it behind her. "_Shit!_" I said, as I noticed she was sporting a rather healthy looking black eye. "Uh...sorry JJ... I'll speak with you later. Bye." I said, hanging up the phone. I got up and rounded my desk, walking up to Emily. "_Fuck_, are you ok?" I asked, placing one hand on her shoulder, and the other on her cheek, gently brushing the bruise with my thumb.

She gave me a brave smile. "Yeah, yeah... Fine. It's just a black eye. It'll heal."

"Mandy?"

Emily nodded.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed. "That _bitch!_"

Emily braced her hand on my bicep. "It's ok, Katie dealt with it. I got off lightly, believe me. Mandy has it much worse, Katie is lucky she isn't up on assault charges."

"Protective twin?"

"_Very_." She nodded.

"Come on... Our schedule doesn't start for an hour, I'm taking you for a coffee, and you can explain what happened."

I took Emily to a local café, order I us both a large latté each and a couple of croissants. She explained in detail what had happened, from walking into her flat to find Mandy kneeling in front of the sofa with her head between the legs of the girl from the bar the other night.

"And she _slapped_ you?" I asked, not believing what I was hearing.

"Apparently I was supposed to call when I was coming home. She finally got to read the note I left on the fridge when I left... And texted me saying I needed to be home ASAP. I got that Friday morning. It was Friday afternoon when Katie and I went to the flat... I thought Mandy would have been at work." Emily explained. "Instead I found her with her head between Brunhilda's legs."

"Charming." I said, flatly. "What happened then?"

Emily shrugged. "She went spare at me for not letting her know I'd be home. It was my flat, too. and then we argued...she slapped me and then Katie takled her and start punching her. I pulled Katie off. I went to collect my stuff, Mandy said I'd never find anyone who loves me like she does. She then started crying when I called her out on fucking around on me for months. We left after that."

"I can't imagine why she would shag some Oktoberfest fräulein rather than you." I said, without thinking.

Emily shook her head. "Neither can Katie or I. She really laid into Mandy, too. Broke her nose and all. Katie Fitch doesn't pull her punches."

"I can imagine."

"I'm glad it's done, you know? I feel better." Emily said, nibbling at the last corner of her croissant.

"It's good that you feel better. And I'm glad you've made the change." I said, placing my hand over hers.

"So... The schedule for today..."

"It's...light, I guess, being your first day and all." I half lied. I should have really given her a clue, but... I didn't know how. I looked at my watch. "Speaking of which. We should get back."

Evilly offered to pay for the coffee, but it wouldn't let her. It was my way of being sympathetic to her, I guess. We made our way back to the building and she stopped, turning to me.

"Thanks, Naomi... For the coffee and... For, you know... Caring," she said, with a shy smile,

I returned her smile. "No problem. What are friends for?" I said, as I reached for the door handle, pulling it open and gesturing for her to go inside, feeling her shy smile melt me on the inside. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

Jesus _Christ_. As fate, or luck (good or bad) would have it, I was currently wearing the only item on mine and Emily's schedule for testing today. It was the prototype for the brand new Thrust Industries Strapolottacockon ..erm...well... strap-on. Yeah, I didn't pick the name, _obviously_. Little bit too inclined to laugh my arse off as opposed to getting aroused by that title. This was also the first time Emily and I were testing, and so therefore the first time we were...well..._fucking for profit?_ That sounds bad, doesn't it?

_Christ_.

I can't lie, and say I wasn't looking forward to it, she was good in bed. I knew I sure as hell got her off, but I don't think she really knew how much she did the same for me. So, try and imagine, if you will, the combination of fear and excitement running through me right about now. I've never really 'liked' anyone like I do Emily. I'm not particularly sure how to explain it... I feel lighter around her. Not that I really have problems, you understand. I just... It's not strictly a fear of attachment, I suppose,.. I just don't need anyone. I'm perfectly happy being single, but you know, every now and again you need to just get a shag. Sophia and I... I didn't love her, she knew that, she didn't love me either, but... I guess there was tension between us. She asked me one day, what my problem with her was... One thing led to another and we ended up fucking in the shower after our shift.

I guess I should mention that Sophia was actually my only pervious working partner at TI. It's cliché, but she taught me everything I know about our business. God, I feel dirty saying that, but I digress. So, I guess her sudden departure was a shock for many reasons. She and I had become friends with benefits, both in our personal and working lives. She taught me a lot more about what I liked in bed than any other lover I'd had.

But...enough about all that. Right now, I was standing in front of the door that Emily and I were meant to be testing in. "_Remain clinical._" I said to myself. "_Don't think about how much you have already made her cum and how right it felt... It's just sex._" I muttered.

I opened the door and went inside, closing the door behind me. Emily was sitting on the end of the bed, her black eye obviously visible. I was so mad that that cunt of a girlfriend of hers had hit her. I couldn't stop myself from trying to soothe it slightly. There was electricity between my lips and her skin as I kissed her bruise. I couldn't explain it, but I think she felt it too. If the shiver that went through her was anything to go by.

"Hi." She said, with a shy smile. Aww... Why did she have to be looking at me with those brown doe eyes of hers? It was dangerous to me. I felt like I couldn't say no to those eyes.

"Hi." I said, returning her smile. She looked at me curiously, as I crossed to the bed, and stood in front of her. "So, uh... I guess we should just..."

"Yeah, of course." She said, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

I stood in front of Emily as she was seated on the edge of the bed, and she looked up at me, nervously. I swallowed, most likely visibly, and reached for the belt of my robe, undoing the loose knot I had tied it in. I shut my eyes briefly, took a sneaky, but deep breath and slid the robe off my shoulders, standing fully naked, but with a large purple cock jutting out from my crotch. Clearly, not my finest moment.

"Wow." Emily laughed. Actually laughed. Out loud. Jesus Christ. To her credit, though, she managed to calm down quickly, her laughter giving way to a red blush that spread across her cheeks. She then looked up at me with a look that confused me. I'm guessing it was because of her inexperience, having never actually worked in this field before, and I having never worked with a novice. She cleared her throat. "_Sorry_."

"It's ok." I said. "Let's just..."

"Yeah." She smirked, as she slid out of her robe, and tossed it to the floor, moving backwards up the bed. "How do you want me?" She asked, and I noticed her pupils had dilated somewhat. Oh, _fuck_.

"Uhm...just on your back, I suppose. We'll start there and..."

Emily nodded, getting comfortable against the pillows. I climbed onto the bed and straddled her thighs, hovering above her. I felt so tense, I wondered if she could feel it. I'll admit it, the fear I felt about what might well happen while we were fucking... I already felt like I couldn't keep telling myself it was just sex anymore. It had only happened that one night, but it was so many times that night. It wasn't just a 'wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am' affair, that's for sure.

I slid my fingers through her folds, checking to see how wet she was. She was slick and soaked. I guess she was as turned on as I was by this prospect. Oh well, might as well get on with it. I grabbed the head of the rather large purple cock and positioned it at her entrance, beginning to push slowly forwards. She bit her bottom lip as I inched forwards, pushing into what I knew from the other night was a very warm place. I might have wished I was the purple cock at this point, but I digress. I could tell from the look in her eyes that she wanted me to kiss her, but I just couldn't. I mean, I wanted to... but... we were working. Not professional. And I'm a professional..._dammit_.

Her hand was on my shoulder, gripping it gently. Her eyes were wide, as I began to thrust my hips into her, taking care to ensure it was comfortable for her. I heard her breathing turn shallow, feeling the gentle warm puffs of her breath against my neck. I couldn't trust my voice, I knew I was as turned on as she was by this. I guess it was made worse by the fact that we'd already pleasured each other, without it being for work purposes. It was hard enough to me to separate this in my head, let alone what Emily was thinking about it. But, I wasn't something to be concerned with that at the moment. I just wanted to get the session over with, and then get to the pub for some alcohol..

So, I settled into concentrating on the task at hand. Fucking Emily for science. Try thinking about it _clinically_, Naomi. Try not to think too much about how she felt against you, how her stiff nipples rubbed against your own. Don't think about now the base of the strap-on is pressing against your clit with each thrust of your hips and just exactly how good _that_ feels. But I found it impossible, when I heard her moan and the sound tore right through me. A whimper left my throat, and I began to do more than just fuck her for science at that point. No. The thing I had been trying to avoid from the start was happening. I had the overwhelming urge to leave kisses all across her shoulders. To lick up her throat and then dive in and suck at her pulse point to bring her pleasure.

I literally couldn't stop myself before I did just that. I was glad, for a brief second, that the company trusted it's employees to test products privately, without a bunch of dickheads holding clipboards standing around. Self appraisal, you know? I didn't say anything, but stared into Emily's eyes, noting full well the questioning behind the gorgeously warm irises that stared back at me. I buried my head into her neck, feeling her finger gently skate up the back of my own neck and thread into the hair at the base of my skull. The effect of that made my stomach drop. "Emily..."

Her name slipped from my lips in a strangled, needy groan, the immediate effect of which was her fingers gripping at me tighter, both on my head and at my hips, and her thighs spreading wider. Her hand slipped downwards, her fingertips tracing along my shoulders as they flexed and bowed, my muscles working along with the momentum of my hips as they thrust deeper inside her. Her breath was hot against my ear, her soft, husky groans reaching my eardrums and sparking a blaze in the pit of my stomach, and it was only made worse when her lips grazed against my ear and she took the lobe between her teeth, biting it gently.

Whatever shred of professionalism I had left disappeared, then. I found myself looking into her eyes as they stared back at me, wide, clear, and so full of want. I knew then that she wanted this as much as I did, and definitely not just for the purpose of science. "What are you doing to me?" I whispered, as my hips slowed for a moment. She looked at me curiously, mirroring the same question that she couldn't verbalise. Instead, she pulled my head down and attached her lips to mine, thrusting her tongue between my lips, telling me exactly what she meant. There was a tiny voice that literally screamed '_what are you doing?!_' At me, whereas the rest of me just gave in and kissed her back passionately. "I can't stand it... I can't..." I mumbled, as I kissed down her throat and across her shoulders.

"It's ok..." She responded, as I felt her ankles wrap around my thighs, pulling me further into her. I shook my head against her chest, but didn't stop thrusting into her, unable to stop myself from licking down to her nipple and taking it between my teeth and gently tugging on it. Emily arched her back and groaned huskily underneath me, her fingers gripping into my shoulders harder. "Naomi...fuck..."

So I did just that. I fucked her. But it was different, wasn't it? It wasn't just for science, I was mixing feeling into it, I was getting so dangerous with this, and I knew at that point that it was the only way it was happening between us. We'd already had each other, there was no way it would ever be clinical between us. And it was never _just_ sex with begin with. I knew that, but I'd been ignoring the fact. I sensed her as her breathing became shallow, and her hips ground harder against me as mine thrust into her. Clearly this was pleasurable from my perspective, but I could only imagine how it was from hers.

I moved my hips faster against her, the comically purple cock obviously doing its job for Emily, if her moans and gasps were anything to go by. I remembered from the other night, just exactly how she clung to me in that moment right before she crashed over the peak into a blissful climax, and I could sense it was close. But so was mine. I was on the verge of one hell of a release of frustration. Because when it came down to the straps, my one night with Emily had me frustrated, and I'd been able to think of nothing but shagging her again. And again... and...again...

_What?! I'm human!_

I was brought out of my thoughts, and back into the hear and now, by Emily's lips on my neck, sucking my skin. I guess she found out the other night that was one of my sensitive spots, and she remembered it well, given the shocks that ran straight through to my crotch as she sucked. I groaned then, losing my sense of control and thrusting more urgently into her. The base of the strap-on did a good job of rubbing against my clit and the pleasure I was feeling was quite spectacular, though I assume that was more to do with the woman under me than the actual product itself.

"Jesus..." I gasped, breathlessly.

"God, I'm so close." Emily whispered, which made me even more determined to make her come. My body took in a mind of its own and thrust harder against her and I buried my head into her shoulder, putting every bit of feeling I had into each thrust. I couldn't help it anymore. Our movements against each other became frantic and urgent. Emily's fingers once again threaded through my hair and she pulled my head up so her eyes met mine, and then she crashed her lips against mine, and that was it. She pushed me over the edge, pleasure flooding me from where the base of the strap-on met my clit and spreading outwards until my whole body was consumed, Emily cried out under me and shuddered as her own orgasm tore through her senses, her ankles now linked behind my arse and pulling me impossibly closer.

We rode out our pleasure together, until I finally rolled off her and lay beside her, spent, panting and sweaty. I shut my eyes as I began to come down from the height we had taken each other to. My heart was still racing after a few minutes, as I listened to both my own breathing calming down as well as Emily's. Then, i felt her fingers curling in my hand and threading themselves in between mine, she gripped them gently, and, whether it was conscious or not, I did the same.

"_Wow_." She whispered, followed by a long, satisfied sigh. "I've never..."

"No?" I asked.

"Mandy was never that adventurous. She was more a tongue and fingers girl."

A lazy, smug grin spread across my lips. "Handy attributes, but sometimes..."

"Yeah." Emily replied, in a lazy giggle. "You, though... Oh my _god_..."

I opened my eyes and turned to look at her. She was staring at the ceiling, but with a very satisfied expression. I reached up and gently stoked her cheek. She turned to look at me, those wide brown eyes looking back at me almost...almost innocently. Jesus, she was beautiful. "I'm not supposed to kiss you, when we..." I said, softly. "But I couldn't help myself."

Emily rolled over onto her side and slid her arm under her head. "Do you regret it?"

I shook my head gently. I don't know why, but I leaned over and kissed her, softly. I know it probably wasn't the right, professional thing to do. But it wasn't something that I felt myself able to help. I just had to kiss her, what surprised me more than anything was the fact that I didn't feel like sneaking off, this time. Not that I very well could, we had a job to do, after all.

"Well... I guess it's your turn..." I said, half breathlessly, with a slight smirk on my face. "Let's see how well you do with the...physical aspect of this job."

Emily's eyes went wide. "But...I've never... I mean, I've never even put one on before."

I grinned. "Well, good thing I'm an expert at it, then."

I scrambled off the bed and grabbed the second...appendage that lay on the table to the side. Obviously for hygiene reasons, we use a new product every time we test. I helped Emily put it on, strapping her into the harness, and her noting how slightly kinky it was. I couldn't help but notice the blush that spread across her cheeks.

"I'm warning you...I'll probably suck at this..." She said, as she paused with the tip of the fresh comical purple cock poised at the entrance to my wetness.

"You're doing fine so far." I said, reassuring her. "Just...go with your instinct."

Emily raised her eyebrow and smirked at ma. Cheeky little... "Is that what you do?" And the question was so innocent, I nearly melted into a puddle. Speechless, I dumbly nodded, and she looked down between us as her hips pushed forwards and the purple cock of happiness began to slide inside me and fill me up.

...She went with her instinct alright. So much that by the time she had come, so had I. Twice. The first time when she kissed me mid-thrust, and the second when she did. The second time shocked me, because it was so fucking good... Like really fucking good, and she left me more breathless than I had been when I had collapsed on top of her. We lay there for a while afterwards... After I had got her out of the harness. The only downside to that product were that the straps were a little on the tricky side. She lay with her arm across my stomach, and her head on my shoulder. It felt good to be with her like that. I didn't quite know what it meant, but it just felt...right. I wanted to say things to her, but I knew this wasn't the place.

"Emily... We should get sorted... We have paperwork." I said, trying to be sensible.

"Yeah." She replied, softly. Why was she twirling my hair in her fingers? And why did I want to do the same with hers?

I cleared my throat, shaking my thoughts out of my head and got off the bed, reaching for my bathrobe, slipping into it. Emily lay naked on her back, watching me. How could she look so perfectly angelic, when I had just had first-hand experience of just how devilish she could be?

"Not bad, for a first day's practical work." I said, trying to keep the atmosphere light.

"Thanks, I guess." Emily blushed.

"Best to take a shower, yeah? I'll meet you back in the office?" I said.

Emily nodded, and I half-smiled, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me.

How the hell could I separate personal and professional now?!

* * *

It was a few hours later, when Emily and I were back in the office, fully dressed and working on our appraisals. Emily was working on a laptop that was set up on the opposite side of my desk, and I was working on my normal computer. It was a bout ten minutes before the day was over, and Emily was maybe having some trouble with her work, because she kept biting her bottom lip and looking at me nervously.

I stopped what I was doing and faced her directly. "What are you having trouble with?" I asked.

Emily sighed. "How descriptive does this have to be? Because what I'm writing here looks a bit like cheaply written smut, and I'm not sure it should be that way."

I laughed. "Ok, let's have a look at what you've got." I said, standing up and moving behind her. I read the words on her screen, and I have to say, her descriptions even made me blush, and I was fairly liberated when it came to sex. "Jesus, Emily." I said, nervously. "Uhm... _Wow_."

"No good?" She asked, biting her bottom lip again. _Fuck, stop doing that, it's too bloody cute!_

"Maybe not that descriptive, hun. It's science, not porn. Uhm... Look... I'll print mine off for you as a guide and you can see what I mean."

"Ok, thanks." Emily replied. "Anything I can do to learn."

I nodded, and went back to my computer, clicking print on the file I was working on. "I'll just go collect it from the printer room, won't be long."

I went to the printer room, and got the printout, checking my watch to see that there was five minutes before the end of our shift. I needed to talk to Emily about today. Maybe a drink might be in order? I walked back into the office to find Emily still staring at the laptop.

"Ok, I've got it printed out, but it's the end of the day, so it can wait until tomorrow morning, yeah?"

"Alright." Emily nodded in reply, as she began to shutdown the laptop.

"Uhm... Are you busy this evening?" I asked, tentatively.

"N-no...why?" Emily asked, looking at me with curiosity.

"Fancy a drink?" I asked. "My shout, after your first full day on the job."

Emily checked her watch. "I don't see why not... Katie has a date anyway, so it's not Iike I'll have company at home." She shrugged.

I smiled. "Ok, then. Let's get going, then.

We clocked out, and then left the building together.

* * *

**A/N#2: Dum de dum... Erm...**

**:-D**

**Is it hot in here?**

**Oh no, that's just the weather here...**

**...ha.**

**Until next time...**

**~GN~ xo**


	6. Science, Profit, Whatever

**A/N: Greetings, folks. Cheers to all of you who have left reviews, followed, favourited, etc. Much appreciated! :-)**

**I figured I would follow one smutty chapter with...well...another smutty chapter, really. Ha!**

**So, yeah... Here's your Cigarette Warning™, use it in good health.**

**On with it, then...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own skins, blah blah blah. Any and all typos are totally accidental.**

* * *

**(Emily POV)**

Naomi was sitting across from me in a corner booth of the same pub she found me in last week. But this time, the atmosphere between us is somewhat different. It's strained. It's more than awkward, even though we've already had a few drinks each. Alcohol wasn't doing it's usual job as a social lubricant, and I for one couldn't think of anything to say. It was like there was a giant elephant was squished into the booth with us, I know I was nervous about what to say, but Naomi... She was quietly rotating her glass in her fingers, watching as the condensation dripped down its sides.

"It's awkward, isn't it?" I blurted. _Good one, Emily, state the bleeding obvious, why don't you?_

Naomi looked up at me, blue eyes hiding behind the blonde fringe that hung in front of her face. "What?"

"This...you and me... It's..." I paused. "Maybe it's just me..."

Naomi's brow furrowed slightly and then she cleared her throat, as her blue eyes seemed to bore into mine. "No, it's not just you." She said, quietly. "I thought it was just me, actually."

"So...let's talk about it, then?" I offered. "We have to work together, Naomi..."

"I know." She replied. "Believe me, I know."

"Then...what has you so deep in thought?" I asked.

Her eyes flicked down to her glass again, and she picked it up, draining its contents before she once again placed it back on its coaster. She sighed, and then looked back at me. "You do." She said, and I felt a slight shiver run through me when she said it. It was so simple, so to the point.

"_Me?_" I asked. "What about me?"

She sat back and leaned her head against the high backing of the booth, looking at me carefully. "This whole personal versus professional thing." She said. "I'm... I don't regret getting personal with you, far from it..."

"Good to know." I smirked. "Neither do I..."

Naomi nodded. "I figured. I just... Can I ask you something?"

I nodded. "Sure."

"You and me... The other night... Was it _just_ sex?"

I looked into her eyes, and took a long sip of my drink, placing the glass back down. I had to be honest with her, didn't I? "Not exactly." I said.

"Not exactly? What does that mean?" She asked.

I sighed. "I thought it was. I thought it was just... You know, scratching a _long overdue_ itch... But the more I think about it... I was probably wrong about that. Can I be completely honest with you?"

Naomi nodded again. "I'd prefer it if you were."

"Right." I said, spinning a stray beer coaster between my fingers. "I was struck by you, the moment I saw you... I don't know if what happened between us was meant to or not, but... I'd be lying if I said it didn't affect me."

The blonde in front of me gave another slow nod. "I can't play it off as just sex, or just the alcohol, either." She said. "No matter how much I think about it, and it's been on my mind a lot." Her eyes met mine again, and once more it felt like she was staring right into my soul. Jesus, eyes like that should be criminal.

I raised both my eyebrows. "Not just me, then?"

"No." She replied, shaking her head. "I have to know, though... It's not just a rebound thing, is it? I mean... You're not just using me for sex because-"

"No." I said, cutting her off. "I won't lie... You were helpful, there. But if it was just that... Hell, I would have just shagged you the once and then left, y'know?"

"Just the once?!" She said, looking a bit hurt.

I blushed and grinned sheepishly. "Ok... _Twice,_ maybe. But still... I wouldn't have spent all night enjoying the feel of your body against mine, had it just been for the sex. I could have found anyone for that." I explained. "But you... You didn't have to stay with me that night. You didn't have to listen to me, or try and comfort me, and you did."

"And it meant something to you." Naomi said, softly.

I nodded. "Yeah, I guess it did. Plus... You're rather beautiful, if no one has told you that before..."

Now it was Naomi's turn to blush, a pinkish tinge spreading across her cheeks. "Thanks, I guess."

"Why are you single?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Always have been, really. I've just... Never had the time or patience for a girlfriend, maybe. Plus, the line of work I'm in... Well, not exactly dinner conversation, is it?" She said, with a soft, but weak smile.

I giggled. "No, I suppose not."

"Did you ever tell Mandy-"

"Christ! _No!_" I laughed. "She would kill me. No, I told her I was working for a legal firm."

"Would she have checked?" Naomi asked. "You know... I figure with her being possessive and all..."

I shrugged. "I guess I'll never find out, will I?" I said, casually.

"True." Naomi replied. "Still... I'm glad you got out of that situation." She added, looking to the bruise under my eye. "You say Katie laid into her?"

"Mmhmm." I murmured, sipping my beer. "Broke her nose."

"Good." She said, simply. I raised my eyebrow. "Well... I'd have done the same, y'know? If she hit you first, well... She deserved it."

_Aww..._

I reached over and placed my hand on top of hers, squeezing it gently. Her thumb came to rest in top of mine and gently skimmed across it. I looked up at her, to see half of her mouth curved up in a tentative smile. I returned her smile, and brushed my fringe behind my ear. "You're sweet." I said, finally.

Naomi shook her head and blushed. "Nah, I just care, that's all." She muttered.

"Can I get you another drink?" I asked, finishing what was left of my glass.

"Hmm? Oh... Sure." She replied, finishing her drink and handing me the empty. I took both glasses back to the bar and ordered another two pints. I could feel eyes on me, though, and I turned around to spot Naomi looking away from me as my eyes met hers. Ha... _Busted!_

"Six quid, love." The bartender said, and I handed him a ten pound note and waited for my change. Once he handed it to me, I pocketed it, and picked up the drinks, walking back to the booth. I handed one to Naomi, and had to stop myself from dropping it as I felt the tiny electric shock pass from her fingers into mine as they brushed against one another. She must have noticed it, too... Because she was looking at me wide-eyed as I slid into the booth opposite her.

"What?" I asked, before I sipped from my drink.

She shook her head, as she placed her glass on the coaster and continued to look at me. The strange thing was, it wasn't uncomfortable. It should have made me feel that way, like I was being analysed or something, but it wasn't. She was staring at me like she was in awe of me, why I didn't know, but it was gentle. More admiration, than anything.

"So..." She said.

"Yeah, so..." I said.

"Have you started looking for a new flat?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Katie has the week off work, so she's been taking a look around at a few listings. She sent me a few pictures that she took with her phone... One or two of them look decent."

"That's good... Once you get your own place, it might not seem so bad." She said. "Everything that's happened, I mean."

"Yeah, true..." I said. I thought for a brief moment about walking in on Mandy and Brunhilda, and began giggling at the sick comedy of it all.

"What?" Naomi asked, a small smile on her lips.

I shook my head as I calmed down. "Nothing. Oh... You know what... Even though we caught Mandy here the other night... For a moment, I felt guilty about sleeping with you."

"Oh." Naomi replied, her face falling.

"No, no... I did, because even though we saw her and that German girl, it still wasn't confirmed, y'know? That she actually was cheating on me." I said. "Maybe I slept with you out of spite, I don't know..."

"Oh, thanks." Naomi said, sarcastically. "That makes me feel better."

"Ah... I could have put that better, couldn't I?" I said, screwing my nose up. "Sorry, I didn't mean it that way. What I meant was... I felt guilty because I didn't want to believe it, in the end. That she was cheating on me. It's not something you want to believe. So you kid yourself into thinking it isn't that bad."

"Right."

"But... It became impossible to kid myself once I'd walked in on Mandy with her head between Brunhilda's legs, wasn't it?" I laughed. "No, any guilt I felt for sleeping with you while I was still technically with someone was gone, at that point."

"I see." Naomi nodded. "I can understand that... I think."

I looked at her carefully, noting her blank expression. "It's never happened to you, has it?"

"Walking on on my partner going down on someone else? No..." Naomi said. "You kind of need to have a partner for that to occur."

"Oh." I said, catching on. "And you've never..."

Naomi shook her head and shrugged. "Not really. I guess I've not been into relationships much, and besides, the whole 'what do you do for a living' question is a bit awkward. I mean, you tell someone you test sex toys for a living and they wonder what kind of perv you are, and if you just tell them you test products, they start asking what kind... Bit of a nightmare, really." She paused to sip from her pint. "I don't know anything about Mandy, but given your black eye, it's probably a good thing you didn't tell her."

I nodded. "She'd have made me quit." I said, flatly. "It wasn't worth the argument, so I just didn't tell her. I felt bad having to lie, but... To tell you the truth, I hated that she was so oppressive."

"Why did you stay with her, then?" Naomi asked.

I shrugged. "Not sure, really. I guess she had convinced me that I'd never find anyone better than her."

"Oh, so standard demeaning stuff, then. 'You'll never do any better than me'... 'No one will love you like I can'... Am I in the football field?"

I frowned. "It wasn't always like that. She was great when we first got together."

Naomi pursed her lips together. "Can I be bluntly honest?" She asked.

"Might as well."

"Even though you only just found out... She lost the right to be possessive over you when she started fucking Brunhilda the überwench. I've already told you she's an idiot for cheating on you."

"Yeah, I remember." I said.

"I just don't know why she would. You're a good person, Emily. At least... From what I know of you. I like you a lot..." She said, trailing off.

"...there's a _but_ there, isn't there?" I asked.

Naomi shrugged. "I work with you, too. And not in an ordinary profession." She said, quietly.

"I noticed that." I replied. A thought occurred to me, then. "This afternoon... When we were..."

"_Testing_." Naomi offered.

"Yeah." I said, with a half smile. "You said you weren't supposed to kiss me."

Naomi nodded. "I had a feeling you might ask about that." She said, sipping once more from her pint. "Kissing... It's too personal. Granted, we do a personal job, and the lines get blurred, but..." She sighed. "I just couldn't help myself. Sleeping with you the other night... I am not calling it a mistake, because it doesn't feel that way. I don't deny that I looked forward to working with you, but... I'm not sure how to explain this without it sounding bad."

"It was unexpected, I know."

"_Very_." Naomi nodded in agreement. "Can I be _completely_ honest?" I nodded. "Right, well... When Sophia left... I was shocked. She didn't say anything to me, not that I really expected her to, I mean... We didn't have that kind of relationship. Definitely no strings, yeah? We just had a good working relationship and it sort of spilled over into a non-working one. She didn't expect me to commit, and I didn't want to, it was mostly just sex."

"But her leaving bothered you?" I asked.

"It did, because I thought she thought more of me than to just skip town without telling me." Naomi replied. "Clearly, I was wrong about that."

"You had no idea, at all?" I asked, surprised.

She shook her head. "First notice I had was when I got to work, the same day you were hired." She said. "I called her and left a voicemail, but she never bothered to reply."

"I'm sorry." I said.

"Why? It isn't your fault, and like I said, I never really expected her to tell me."

"But it still would have been nice of her."

"Yeah, I suppose." Naomi shrugged. "I guess... I'm just annoyed, because we had a good working relationship... And it's hard for me to form good relationships with people."

"Oh." I said, slightly confused. "But..."

"What?" She asked, looking at me through her fringe.

I shrugged. "You're good with me. I mean... You've been a good friend to me, when you barely know me."

A blush spread across her cheeks. "Just because I'm not into relationships doesn't mean I don't have a heart, Emily."

"No, I-"

"It's ok." Naomi said, with a gentle smile. "I know I don't make much sense."

"You do..."

"I mean the way I am, Emily." She said, taking a long sip from her pint. "I guess it comes from my mum, you know? She always told me that no matter what troubles people had, they could always use an ear." She explained.

I nodded. "I get that about you... You seem to be very compassionate."

"Yeah, I guess." Naomi replied. "I guess I felt bad for you, having to deal with all that shit."

"Hmm." I murmured, before drinking the last of my beer. "It's... It's not just that, though, is it?"

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking at me curiously.

I smiled. "I'm _not_ blind, Naomi. I know you've been looking at me, and not the way colleagues do, not even ones who fuck each other for science, or profit, or whatever."

Her cheeks turned bright red, and I knew I was right. "I...uh..." She paused, to drink half of the remainder of her beer. "_Christ_..." Her eyes met mine, and there was something guilty in the way she bit her bottom lip. "I'm not supposed to feel this way about you. It just makes it complicated."

"Because we work together?"

Naomi nodded. "And because of the nature of our job." She said. "I never felt...affection for Sophia. At least... Not like I think I do for you, anyway."

I stared at her, briefly, because I could see how hard this was for her. It surprised me a bit, but I would be lying if I said I didn't feel attracted towards her as well.

"Naomi... I just got out of a relationship..."

"I know that." She replied, softly. "And I'm not asking you to be in one with me. God knows I don't know how to be in a relationship, I'd probably fuck it right up. I just... I like you, a lot. I'd like to think we could be friends, and I thought we could, or at least... I could, but..." She paused, to drink the last of her beer, and set the glass back on the table. "With you, I just don't know." She whispered.

I looked at her carefully. "So... What do we do?"

Naomi shrugged. "I'm literally travelling minus a map, here." She said, her blue eyes almost burning into mine. "My mind tells me it's a bad thing."

My eyes went wide. "And...the rest of you?"

She looked down at her fingers, which were rotating her glass again. "The rest of me wonders why we are still here and not in my bed."

A flash of heat tore through me at her words. "Oh." I whispered. She looked back at me, and I could see the want in her eyes, how brightly it was burning. Her bottom lip tucked itself between her teeth, and her eyes looked to the door, then back at me, her eyes asking me a silent question. I barely registered the movement of my head as it nodded, the next sensation I felt being Naomi's fingers threading through mine as she stood, and began leading me out of the bar. I followed, letting her lead the way until we got out into the chilly night air. We walked for about a block, and then Naomi stopped, turning to me and pulling me close. Her arms slid around my waist and she hugged me close to her. Her embrace was warm and gentle...comforting.

"She's a fool, Emily. If you were mine... I'd never want to let you go." She said, leaning in and kissing my lips softly. My lips moved against hers, and the kiss deepened, Naomi's fingers threading into my hair as her tongue slipped past my lips. My own fingers gripped at the waistband of her jeans, and I knew we had to get indoors before I became completely impatient.

"We should get back to yours..." I mumbled, in between hot, fiery kisses, "...I don't want to get arrested for public indecency."

"Me neither..." Naomi murmured, leaning her head against mine. "Not my fault your lips are so kissable, though." I felt myself blushing. Naomi grinned. "See, then you go and blush, and that's just too adorable for words..."

"Tends to happen when a gorgeous woman gives me a compliment."

Naomi laughed. "C'mon... Let's get you indoors...I've got plans for you." She said, running her finger down my nose.

* * *

Her hand felt warm in mine, so warm it was almost burning me. She was leading me up the stairs with quick, impatient steps. After the number of drinks I'd consumed while at the pub, and the few quick snogs, ok, as well as the odd grope we'd shared on the way, I was following her just as impatiently.

"Wait! What if your flatmate is home?" I asked, pulling her back slightly as we walked down the hallway.

"Effy? Don't worry about her... She's probably out, anyway." Naomi replied as we reached the door. She turned the key in the lock and opened it, and I followed her inside. The lights were all off, so I'm guessing there was no one home after all. The light flicked on, and I turned to see Naomi standing against the door, hearing it click shut. She looked at me, and if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was nervous.

"Are you ok?" I asked, stepping closer to her.

She closed the gap and reached up to stroke my bruised cheek. "Yes." She said, leaning in to kiss me softly. Just a simple, gentle kiss. "Perfect." She whispered. "You're so perfect, it's beautiful."

I think something inside me melted at that point. I drew her closer to me and my arm slid around her waist. Her arms wrapped around my body and embraced me again. I can't remember the last time I felt that safe...

A door opened, and Naomi sprang apart from me, as if she were guilty of something.

"Oh, it's you two..." Effy said, with a tone that was strangely knowing, as she. Stood in the doorway.

"Eff... Didn't think you were home." Naomi said. "Uhm... You remember Emily?"

Effy nodded. "I do, from when _you_ did a runner the other day." She smirked.

I raised my eyebrow at Naomi, who blushed and looked at her feet.

"Nice to see you again, Emily." She said.

"Uh...yeah, likewise." I replied.

"Right, well... If there's nothing else..." Naomi said, walking to her bedroom door and opening it.

"Oh, not at all. I'm off out for a drink... You two have fun, by all means..." Effy replied, almost floating across the room. "...don't wait up..."

"Bye, Eff..." Naomi said, a little impatiently, as Effy left the flat. "Christ. Sorry about her. I really didn't think she was home."

I smiled. "Yeah, I gathered that." I said, walking towards Naomi. "Now... Where were we?" I asked, pulling her by the collar into her room and shutting the door behind her. I flicked the lock and turned back to her. "Sit down." I said, beginning to pull my scarf from around my neck. Naomi sat at the foot of her bed, kicking her shoes off and leaning back on her hands, as I stepped in front of her. "Want to play a game?" I asked.

She looked up at me with wide, curious blue eyes. "What kind of game?"

I grinned, feeling a little devilish. "A bit like your twenty questions about how kinky I am..."

She laughed nervously. "They're the company's questions, and-"

"...they're designed to figure out what I like and don't like, I know... But... It's more a 'what I will and won't do', isn't it?" I asked.

Naomi stared at me for a short moment and then nodded. "Correct... But that's to ensure n-nothing gets sprung on you that you won't agree to." She said, and I could hear the nervousness in her voice.

"I see." I said, leaving the scarf hanging over my shoulders, and slowly unzipping my jacket. I shrugged it off and let it fall to the floor. "And when you filled it out..." I said, stepping closer, "...did it make you blush?"

"W-well...uh..." Naomi stammered. "I..."

"C'mon, Naomi... It's just you and me, here... No testing or appraisals to worry about... Just you and me. We've already seen each other, felt each other... Now I want you to be honest with me..." I said, sliding her own jacket off her shoulders.

"Uhm...ok..."

"So... Listing all those... things that you would or wouldn't do... Did it make you blush? Did it turn you on? Did it make you...wet?" I asked, undoing the buttons of her shirt, one by one. "Inquiring minds want to know..."

Naomi nodded, her breathing shallow as my hand slipped into her shirt and cupped her bra-clad breast. I rubbed my thumb over the nipple, feeling it become stiffer under the lace. "I think it would do that to anyone..."

I reached up and slid Naomi's shirt off her shoulders, leaning down to kiss her slowly. Her hand came up to rest on my hip, her fingertips digging into me slightly. "Do you know how revealing it is...to have you know so many things about what I like in bed? Some people take years to figure that out about each other, Naomi... But you know it all within a week of meeting me."

"The questionnaire...it...it d-doesn't tell m-me _everything_..." She stammered.

"I see..." I said, lifting my top over my head and dropping it to the floor. Naomi looped the ends of my scarf around her hands and pulled me closer, until our lips were barely touching. "Am I making you nervous, Naomi?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper.

Her breath was shallow against my lips. "N-not nervous, just... Out of control."

"Ahhh..." I said, a smirk crossing my lips. I reached behind my back an unsnapped my bra, slipping the straps down my arms and pulling it off me entirely, casting it aside. Naomi's eyes moved down, and she spent a few seconds openly staring at my tits before l lifted her head, making her eyes meet mine. "Like what you see?" I asked, softly.

Naomi nodded slowly. "_Very_ much so." She said, the words falling from her lips in a soft whisper. She reached up and I closed my eyes, allowing myself to feel the touch of her fingers on my skin. Her thumbs grazed across my already hard nipples, and I slowly ran my hand through Naomi's hair. Her head tilted upwards to look at me, her eyes almost black, save for a small sliver of blue around her pupils. I leaned down and touched my lips to hers, and she pulled me closer, kissing me deeply, her tongue pushing its way between my lips. There was something simple, yet beautiful in the way she kissed me. It wasn't hurried, it was slow, but deep and sensuous.

It continued in the soft, yet deliberate kisses she placed down my throat and chest. Her hands trailed down my stomach as her lips closed around my nipple, gently sucking the stiff peak. I reached behind her and unsnapped her bra, relieving her of it in very short order, as her hands fumbled with the waistband of my jeans, popping the button and sliding the zipper down. She left a single kiss right above my belly button and then looked up so her eyes met mine. Her hands slid into my jeans, curving over my arse and pushing the denim down my thighs.

In one quick movement, she pulled me down on the bed next to her, and pulled my jeans completely off me. She then sat straddling my thighs, and taking my scarf in her hand, she pulled it towards her, pulling me so I was sitting upwards, and then sliding one arm behind my back as she crashed her lips against mine and kissed me passionately. My fingers slipped up her neck and gripped strands of her hair between them as my lips moved against hers. My other hand opened the buttons of her jeans and crept inside, feeling my way into her knickers.

Naomi gasped as my fingers brushed against her clit, and her body moved towards mine, as I kissed down her throat. "Oh, Christ..." She groaned, my fingers keeping a consistent movement against her wet flesh. Her forehead rested against mine, as I teased her with my fingers, biting my bottom lip and kissing down her throat. Not content with her still being half clothed, I flipped her onto her back, much to her surprise, and began tugging her jeans off her hips.

"You're strong... For such a pocket sized person..." Naomi remarked, as I quickly crawled on top of her.

"My dad runs a gym." I grinned, as I kissed down her stomach. I threw her legs over my shoulders and slowly kissed up her thighs.

"Oh, I bet that comes in handy- Oh, FUCK!" She groaned, as slid my tongue through her folds, flicking it against her clit as her hand gripped mine at her hip. She gasped as I swiped my tongue back and forth across the swollen fleshy bud. "Oh, god you're _good_ at that..."

I closed my lips around her clit and hummed softly in agreement, the vibration of my lips making Naomi moan her approval, her fingers threading into my hair, drawing me closer. I licked and sucked every single inch of her soaking flesh, slipping first one, then two fingers inside her wet, gripping warmth. My lips wrapped around Naomi's clit once more, and I flicked my tongue across the tip, thrusting my fingers deeper inside her, curving them upwards, as her hips jerked towards me.

"Emily... _Christ_..." Naomi gasped, as my fingers moved quicker inside her. "Oh, baby...yesssss..." I doubled my efforts, flicking my tongue faster, and curving my fingers more, determined to take her to the highest peak. It didn't take long, and soon Naomi was moaning low and shuddering under me, before her body stiffened and she cried out, and a smug smirk formed on my lips as they sucked her into an orgasm and left her quivering and shaking. I pushed her legs off my shoulders and, withdrawing my fingers, I slowly and softly kissed up her stomach and chest, until I settled myself next to her, leaving gentle kisses against her shoulder and neck. The rise and fall of Naomi's chest came heavily as she regained control over her breathing.

My fingertip traced patterns across her stomach, until her hand covered mine, squeezing it gently. I looked up into Naomi's eyes, to see them staring brightly back at me. "Hi." She said, softly.

A slow smile crossed my lips. "Hi." I replied. "You ok, babe?"

Naomi sighed and nodded, a small smile forming on her own lips. "Yeah. That was..." She paused and then gave another content sigh.

I leaned over and kissed her softly. "I'm glad you enjoyed it..."

"Oh, definitely." She replied, in a half dirty chuckle. Her lips met my forehead and she kissed me softly. "Stay? I promise I won't do another runner..."

"Ha! I'm not giving you the chance... I'm just gonna tie you to the headboard with my scarf." I replied, jokingly.

Naomi raised her eyebrow. "Oh, _really?_" I grinned, devilishly, and Naomi smirked, scrambling to the end of the bed and retrieving my scarf, looping it around her hands. "You know, Em... I might just have to beat you to it..."

My eyes widened, as she began to tie one end for the scarf around my wrist...

If I thought being fucked by Naomi with a _laughably_ coloured strap-on for science or profit was one thing, being tied to her headboard, and them promptly licked, sucked and fingered to no fewer than three orgasms was definitely another. We lay in each other's arms afterwards, sharing kisses and lazy conversation. Eventually, I must have fallen asleep, because I opened my eyes and it was completely dark. I rolled onto my side, and felt Naomi shift next to me, pulling me close and snuggling against me. She sleepily placed a soft kiss against my ear and I nestled into the crook of her neck. It was nice, feeling this sort of intimacy, after not having done so for such a long time.

I could find myself getting addicted to this...

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**A/N#2: And that's where we leave the tale for now...**

**Reviews are welcome, as always.**

**Until next time...**

**~GN~ xo**


	7. Moving Day Part I

**A/N: Just a short chapter this time around, and a few of you might be..erm... Y'know what. I'm just gonna let you read it :P**

**The end of this chapter requires a massive Tease Warning™. Not quite a Cigarette Warming™.**

**On with it, then...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own skins. I am having beef/chicken stroganoff for dinner. OM NOM NOM. Any and all typos blah blah blah not my fault. And CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER CAKE!**

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**(Naomi POV)**

(Saturday afternoon)

Emily is sitting next to me on her new sofa, that her sister Katie had purchased for her. The previous few days at work had been busy, what with the Christmas rush...er...coming, and a few new products that required resting. Thankfully, whoever wrote the daily schedules didn't saddle myself and Emily with anything as confronting as the Strapalottacockon, which, it turned out, was very satisfying to both of us, even though Emily admitted to me that she'd never been fucked with one before.

She mentioned in passing during a lunch break that she had found a flat and paid a deposit, and would be moving on the weekend.

"If you need a hand, I can give you one. A hand, I mean." I said, before blushing. "With moving."

Emily giggled and raised her eyebrow. "It's not _just_ me that thinks that sounds dirty, is it?"

I sighed with relief. "No." I laughed.

"I swear it's this job that does it to me." Emily replied, shaking her head.

"It'll wear off, eventually." I said, sipping from my bottle of water. "I meant what I said, though... If you'd like some help..."

"Yeah, thanks... That'd be great. If you give me your number, I can just text you when I'm ready."

I nodded, and she slid her phone over. I punched in my number and slid it back over to her, along with my own. "Uhm... In case anything changes, I can let you know...If I can have yours too?"

Emily smiled. "Sure, it's only fair." She replied, keying in her number and sliding it back across to me. I placed my phone back in my pocket, my stomach doing little flip flops because Emily had finally given me her phone number.

So, when I got a polite text early this morning asking for my assistance, I couldn't reply fast enough. Soon enough, I was standing outside her door, my hand poised to knock. Before I could, though, the door swung open and I was almost knocked out of the way by someone who looked a bit like Emily, though not completely so. I mean, I've never seen Emily wear a bra that pushes her tits out so much that they just about levitate off her chest, or both a top and a skirt in clashing shades of leopard print. Fluorescent pink and green do _not_ go together, people. I held my hands out in front of me and braced her shoulders to stop her from running into me.

"OI! Take your fucking hands off me, and get out of my way!" She snapped.

"Sorry." I said, as I immediately stepped backwards.

She looked me up and down and sneered at me. "Well?!"

"Uh...I came to give Emily a hand moving." I replied. "You're not Emily, though..."

"You're right, Einstein. I'm Katie fucking Fitch, who the _fuck_ are you?" She said, her tone becoming snobbish.

"Oh, sorry. I'm Naomi. Emily and I work together?"

"Emily! There's someone here to see you." Katie replied, looking me up and down. "Can you get out of my way, please... I've got to go put this in the skip outside." She added, holding up stuffed-to-the-gills bin liner.

"Oh, sure." I said stepping aside, just as Emily came to the door.

"Naomi! Hi..." Her husky voice greeted me with a genuine smile.

"Hi." I said, waving a little dorkily. "How are you?"

"Good, everything is mostly still packed, so we've just got to load it into Katie's car, and I'm having some furniture delivered at three."

"Oh, right."

I helped Emily load her bags into Katie's car, and rode in the back seat as Katie prattled on about how it would be good for Emily to make a fresh start, and she deserves so much better than that bitch Mandy (her words, my sentiment), and a whole bunch of other blah blah blah that I mostly tuned out to, but made appropriate comments here and there.

We finally got to Emily's new flat, which was up a few flights of stairs, but had a fairly decent view over the city. Katie helped us by carrying the lightest bag Emily had, whining about how if she chipped a nail she wouldn't be impressed. While Emily was downstairs getting the last bag, Katie cornered me in the stairwell.

"Emily tells me you work with her?"

I nodded. "That's correct."

"She also told me a bit about what you do."

"Oh." I said, blushing.

"It's a bit obscene, to tell you my honest feeling on it." Katie said, crossing her arms. "I also know you've been a help to her with all this Mandy shit."

"And you broke her nose. Congratulations." I replied.

"Yeah, well. You fuck with my sister, you fuck with me." Katie said, narrowing her eyes at me. "That goes for you, too."

"Uh..."

Katie rolled her eyes. "Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about, Naomi. I'm not fucking blind, yeah? You don't grow up a twin without learning things about your sibling. I know she hasn't been getting any in months, and I can see the way her eyes light up when she talks about work...and you. Not details, you understand, just..."

"Yeah, I get it. The ins and outs of our job are a little..."

"_Delicate?_" Katie offered.

"Nice choice of words."

"So were yours." She smirked in reply. "She tells me you've been attentive to her. Much more so than Mandy, which I'm thankful for. She needs a friend."

I shrugged. "I care about her. She deserves better."

"Yeah, well... Make sure she doesn't get hurt again, yeah?" Katie said. "Mandy crossed the line and paid for it with her nasal cartilage. I'd hate to have to do the same to you."

I took this information in, and then nodded. "Understood."

"All done, Ems?" Katie said, her expression changing. I turned to see Emily coming up the stairs carrying the last bag.

"Yeah, all done. Thanks for the help, Katie, you're free to go now." She said, casually. "Naomi, would you mind staying and helping with the furniture?"

"Not at all." I replied.

"Right, I'll see you later, Ems." Katie said, hugging her sister. "Nice to meet you, Naomi." She added, in her way down the stairs.

"Likewise." I said, following Emily into her flat, closing the door behind us.

"Can I get you a drink? I've got some cold water in the fridge already."

"Sure."

Emily got us two glasses of water and we stood around the breakfast bar sipping quietly. "Did Katie give you a bit of a lecture?"

I laughed. "Sort of, I suppose. I was a bit...surprised she knew about us, actually."

Emily looked at me sheepishly. "I'm sorry, it's just...she's my sister, there's not much I don't tell her." She said, sipping from her glass. "I didn't go into graphic detail, if that's what you are wondering."

I shook my head. "No, it's just that... Or job isn't always easily understood, Emily. I think she seems to think I'm taking advantage of you, seeing as you're newly single."

Her eyes widened. "That's ridiculous!"

"You know it, and I know it... But Katie thinks different. At least, that's how it seemed. I basically got the "hurt her and I'll kick your arse" speech." I explained. "But that's not what we are, is it?" I added, looking directly at her.

"N-no. Not at all." She said, softly. "I'm sorry about her. She can be a bit..."

"Confronting? Yeah, I got that from her outfit."

Emily laughed. "Hideous, wasn't it?"

I nodded. "If her tits stuck out anymore, I'd be missing an eye."

Her mouth opened in faux shock, "OI, that's my sister!"

I held my hands up. "I'm only joking, babe."

"I know."

A knock came not be door, then, and Emily went to answer it, finding two stocky blokes standing on the other side.

"Afternoon, miss. We have a furniture delivery for a Miss Emily Fitch?" One said, consulting a clipboard.

"Yeah, that's me."

"Right, well we've got a bed kit with mattress and a sofa to bring in, as well as an entertainment unit kit. We will bring it right up." He said, with a smile, and the two trudged off back downstairs.

"Bed and entertainment unit kit?" I said, raising my eyebrow. "You mean..."

"Ah...yeah. Flat pack stuff. Katie paid for it, but swears the stuff is good quality. I'm sure there are instructions."

"Hmm. Alright, then."

"And they come with tools and such, so it shouldn't be too hard." Emily offered.

I gave her a skeptical look, but it was melted by the shy grin Emily gave me. How could she manage to dissipate my slight annoyance so quickly? I fucking hated flat pack furniture, but helping Emily out didn't seem so bad.

The delivery men brought in the packs and leaned them up against the wall, and then carefully brought in the sofa and placed it where Emily wanted it. Keys they had left, we got stuck into putting together the entertainment unit, which didn't take as long as expected, and then after a quick break, we began assembling the bed. Emily seemed to be slightly distracted watching me sort screws and nuts, and I caught her eye as I was arranging the timber pieces of the bed frame.

"Emily, once we have this out together, we can do whatever you want, but if you want what I think you want, unless you feel adventurous, we need a bed." I smirked.

Her cheeks turned red, and she bit her bottom lip. "That obvious?" She asked, her voice sounding nervous.

"Just a little, hun." I grinned.

It took us a bit more time, but we finally got the bed sorted out, including a very comfortable mattress, that I helped Emily put clean bedding on. We finally went back into the sitting room, and after Emily had pulled two beers out of the fresh six pack that was already in the fridge, we sat down in the soda and relaxed.

"Thanks for helping me today. I'd still be at it, otherwise." Emily said.

"You're welcome. I thought you might need a hand in some way when you said you were moving. Giving you a hand seemed like the thing to suggest." I explained.

Emily nodded. "I'm glad you helped." She said, looking at me directly.

"Yeah, it was good to spend time with you." I said, looking down at my beer. I hadn't missed the glances Emily had been stealing all afternoon. They were filled with want and longing. I knew looks like that. It made me feel uneasy, yet calm at the same time. I wasn't sure how I felt about Emily. She was actually fantastic in bed, Mandy doesn't know what she's given up. But fuck her, Emily deserves better. I found myself liking her more the more time we spent together. She was warm hearted, and sweet. And I could tell that the lines between business and pleasure had definitely blurred. Personal and professional had definitely mixed, and it still felt so dangerous. But I could never stop it. I knew that now. It was as inevitable as the chances of Emily walking into my office to begin with. "Emily, I..."

Before I had a chance to say anymore, Emily's lips were on my own, kissing me slowly. Now, I was powerless to resist her. Because the moment her lips touch mine, I cease to be logical Naomi. I become a version of myself that is more primal that it will admit, and I just give in to the same base urges that fuel anyone else's passions. But my lover is Emily Fitch. She looks shy and innocent, but she can do some things that would make Effy smirk herself to death. They make me moan and thrash under the subtly controlled movements of her tongue against my swollen clit. I cannot resist her, she simply makes me feel way too fucking good.

"You wouldn't stop looking at me." I groaned, as Emily kissed down my throat. My fingers threaded into the hair at the base of her head.

"I'm sorry, I know how self conscious that makes you feel." Emily murmured, sliding her tongue and kissing up the left side of my neck. "I couldn't help myself. I've wanted you since I saw you this morning, I just can't...oh..." She adds, as her lips meet mine once more. I am drawn in by her kiss, like being sucked into a vortex. But it's all pleasure. She makes me tingle all over just with her mouth on mine. Something deep inside me hums when she is close to me.

I push her body off mine, and stand up, picking her up and throwing her over my shoulder. "I think your new bed needs christening." I said, flatly. I wanted her. Now

"I won't argue!" Emily giggled.

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**A/N#2: That is where we leave proceedings for now, the next chapter will be up soon. :-D**

***ducks***

**It'll be worth it. I promise.**

**Until then...**

***scuttles away***

**~GN~ xo**


	8. Moving Day Part II

**A/N: Greetings one and all and welcome to moving day part deux.**

**It's pretty much smut with a bit of D&M conversation thrown in...heat of the moment and all that. So, y'know... Cigarette Warnings™ aplenty apply. Don't blame me if you need to change your knickers.**

**On with it, then...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own skins. Active imagination, dirty mind, blah blah blah. Any and all typos are not my fault.**

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**(Emily POV)**

Naomi's lips are blazing a hot trail up my neck, as her thigh pushes itself in between mine, my hips moving upwards so that her thigh makes contact with my body in the place where I'm wanting it the most. It does, and she swallows my groan with her kiss, slipping her tongue between my lips. I am so addicted to this, whatever this between us is. Naomi is a much better lover than Mandy ever was, even when we were having sex. I don't know how much of that was attributed to her job, but she knew how to make a girl come in short order. Even though we had shagged more than a few times now, both for work and, erm, pleasure, the pleasure she gave me had not lessened any, in fact, as she learned more about what I liked, she just seemed to fine tune it more, and would have me quickly quivering, regardless of her movements. They all seemed to be the right ones that homed in on the pleasure inside me and unleashed it.

She began to push my shirt up my body, and I moved my arms upwards to allow her. She then pulled me upwards so I was sitting, and pulled her own shirt and bra off, and I took mine off as well. Her lips once again fused with mine as she gently pushed me back onto the bed and pulled away, framing my face with her hands. She leaned in again, kissing me softly, her forehead just leaning against mine. Everything about this was so tender and perfect, like we fit in to each other. It felt like it was meant to be as she kissed down in between my tits, her hands coming up to cup them in her palms as her lips trailed down and her tongue circled my belly button.

I felt sparks shooting through my abdomen, and gasped as Naomi's fingers quickly undid the button on my jeans and began to impatiently pull the denim down my thighs. She gets them, and my knickers off in short order, leaving me naked on the fresh sheets. I watched as she stripped out of her jeans as well, and then crawled up the mattress towards me, her blue eyes a definite darker shade. I gasped as here naked skin skimmed over mine, her body just above mine. The way her lips glided over my skin made me shiver as much as the gentle tickling of the ends of her hair that brushed against me with each kiss. She then peppered kisses up my throat before sucking it, pulling a groan from deep inside my lungs.

My arms wrapped around her as she continued to suck at my neck, I knew it would most likely leave a mark, but what did I have to worry about? Mandy was out of the picture for good now. The thought of her was knocked out of my head as Naomi's thigh slid between my own and she began to grind against me. "You drive me...fucking _crazy_..." She murmured into my ear, as she pressed against me with her thigh.

"I can't argue there..." I groaned, as I ground my hips upwards against her. "...you do the same to me."

She slid her tongue down my throat and made her way to my nipple, curling her tongue around it and biting it gently with her teeth, making me gasp. She palmed my tits as she continued kissing and licking down my stomach, my body arching towards her. I felt her breath, warm between my legs, and then the hot, slippery slickness of the warm muscle of her tongue as she slid it between my folds. Every flick of Naomi's tongue made me shiver. Every movement of her thumbs as they pushed against my clit, holding it in place as her tongue carefully, but very methodically swiped across the swollen button of pleasure, until I thrashed beneath her. A throaty moan burst from my lips, as all control was lost to me, and I came completely undone, the pent up frustration of being near Naomi all day exploding in an orgasm that left me shattered and shaking.

I watched her, gasping for breath as she kissed a trail back up my stomach. She straddled my hips and crashed her lips against mine, kissing my passionately. I melted in the taste and sensation I felt, myself on her lips and electricity sparking through my body as we because lost in it. My hand slid between us and pushed between her legs, finding her soaked to the core. I didn't waste any time, slipping two fingers inside her up to the knuckles, making her gasp and murmur something completely incoherent, but I still knew by instinct what it translated to.

_Fuck me._

I began to build up a rhythm, thrusting into her as her hips moved above me. I reached up behind her neck and pulled her down towards me, kissing her, my tongue impatiently pushing its way through her lips to writhe against her own. She broke her lips free from mine and rested her heard again ate mine, her breath now coming in quick pants as she trembled above me. I pulled my fingers towards me inside her and she cried out, leaning forwards and burying her face in my neck. "Fuck...don't stop..._please_..."

I continued the motion of my fingers inside her, pushing my thumb against her clit as she shook above me, her gasps now loud moans as she came on my fingers. I slowed my movement inside her, allowing her to come down. We held each other close as Naomi left soft kisses along my jaw. She reached up to stroke my cheek with trembling fingers.

"What are we doing here, Emily?" She asked, softly.

"Christening the bed? I'd say we've not nearly done a good enough job yet..." I smirked.

Naomi smiled and blushed, before her face became a little serious. "You know what I mean, Emily."

I sighed. "I really don't know, Naomi. I could just say we're filling a need... But that sounds bad."

"Yeah...ouch." She replied.

"Sorry." I said, screwing my nose up. "I don't mean it to offend."

Naomi shrugged. "It doesn't, really." She said. "It's just..." She added, before trailing off.

"What?"

She sighed, and looked at me with those beautiful clear, blue eyes. "Personal and professional are blurring together, Emily." She said. "At least, I feel like they are for me. I like you a lot. I'd be lying if I said I didn't fancy you, because I do, and as crude as it might sound, you're good in bed."

"Uh...thanks, I guess. I mean... It's not as crude as calling me a fantastic fuck..."

Naomi laughed. "Oh, that was my first choice."

I playfully slapped her shoulder. "Bitch."

"Ooh, careful, you'll get me all turned on again." She grinned.

I laughed and then kissed her softly. In the space of less than ten seconds the kiss had become much more serious. There it was, that feeling of being drawn in again. I gently pushed her shoulders, separating us. "What do I mean to you, Naomi?" I asked. "I know we've skirted around the issue, but I feel like I need to know... Is this really just sex to you?"

She lay her head on my chest and gently stroked my nipple with her fingertips. "It's not. I care about you, Emily. I don't know if I'm ready for a relationship, I've never given it any thought as such."

"I've just got _out_ of a relationship, Naomi. I'm not ready to be with anyone, but... I can't lie and say this doesn't mean anything to me, because it _does_. I can't stop myself from wanting you. Not just for your body, which is very talented, by the way..."

"Oh, thank you." Naomi smirked, warning her another poke from me.

"Smartarse. You also listen, even though you might have no advice to offer, you just let me get it off me chest."

"And it's a beautiful chest..." She grinned, pinching my nipple slowly and making me hiss. Her eyes widened, and her eyebrow raised as I bit my bottom lip, groaning as she again rolled the stiff flesh between her fingers. "My my... Sensitive?" She asked, and I nodded in response. "Interesting. Roll on to your side." She said, and I looked at her with questioning eyes, feeling the blush spread across my cheeks. "Trust me." She smirked. I did as she asked, and felt her arms slide in between mine and my body as she brushed her palms across my ribs and then stopped just under my breasts. She kissed the back of my neck, making me shiver, and then her fingers rubbed against my stiff nipples, the sensation of which causing a very tight feeling in my lower stomach. I tensed and relaxed against her, as she stroked and pinched them, neither too much or too little pressure, just enough to make me moan and want more.

"Why haven't I discovered _this_ about you yet?" Naomi whispered against my earlobe, her warm breath sending shivers up my spine and making me tremble.

"I...don't know..." I gasped in reply. The motion of her fingers was making it difficult to think of anything else, much less form coherent words. I was almost on the very edge of something very explosive. I groaned deeply as Naomi's fingers pulled just a little harder and causing my insides to ripple and squirm all of their own accord. Jesus, why hadn't Mandy ever discovered this about my nipples in the years we were together?

Because she was never this attentive a lover, that's why.

The thought vanished from my mind as Naomi took my earlobe between her teeth, biting it gently, making me squirm more against her. "I get it... _No one _has figured this out, have they? They never took enough time to learn what you like..."

"N-no..." I said, my voice extremely shaky.

"Foolish." She murmured, nuzzling against my neck and inhaling deeply. "Mmm." She sighed. "So good..." She whispered, before pinching my nipples once more and making me groan. "Do it, Emily... Make it feel so much better than it already does... Put your hand between your legs and make yourself come."

She couldn't have told me to fast enough. I lost myself to the dual sensation of Naomi's fingers manipulating my nipples and my own fingers rubbing against my very swollen clit. I floated somewhere spaceless, my vision meaningless and each breath leaving my lungs as either a gasp or a groan as a completely different kind of orgasm swept through me in waves of pleasure. I shivered and shook as Naomi gave one last squeeze that briefly deprived me of consciousness, leaving me trembling in her arms. She pulled me close to her, my chest heaving as I fought to catch my breath. I barely registered the soft kisses that played across my shoulders. When I finally calmed down. I gave a long sigh and then turned around to face her.

"_How_ am I supposed to give this up when you play me like that?" I asked, my voice low and tinged with emotion.

"I don't want to give this up, either." Naomi shrugged. "I'll be bluntly honest with you. I like shagging you. But I also like you for you, too."

I closed my eyes. "Naomi, I'm really not ready to be with someone."

"I know. I'm not sure I want to be with anyone either. But I know that you feel like more than just a friend to me. This..." She said, motioning between us. "...it's _never just_ been sex to me. I knew that from the first time I saw you out of hours and we shagged in my bed. It's partly why I skipped out in the morning. What we did scared me because I knew that you weren't anything like Sophia, or anyone else I've shagged. I've felt something connecting me to you since the first moment I looked into your eyes."

I leaned my head against hers and kissed her softly. "Oh, babe... I understand what you're saying."

"And I know you're not ready." She said, softly.

"I'm sorry."

"So... Just using each other for sex, then?" She smirked.

I laughed. "How long can we call it that? Really..."

"I don't know." Naomi replied. "Friends with benefits?"

"Shag buddies. Who shag each other at work. As well as out of hours kidding themselves that it's nothing more." I said, succinctly.

"Er... Yeah, I guess so. Wow." She replied, a bit shocked. "Are you always that blunt?"

"When you grow up with my sister..."

"Ah. Right. Yeah, well... She's clued up enough."

"She really just doesn't want me hurt, you know?" I said.

She nodded. "I don't want to hurt you either. I'm not sure I'm relationship material. And you're not ready and all..."

"You might not be sure but I say any girl would be lucky to be with someone as compassionate as you. Believe me, if I hadn't just got out of a relationship, I'd be begging you to be with me." I said.

"Really?"

"Uh...well... Kind of?"

"Mmhmm. I think you might still be brain fogged after the orgasm I gave you."

"_Two_." I sighed, lazily.

"Ok, two." She grinned.

"I think we need to christen the shower." I said, slowly running my fingers up and down Naomi's arm.

She raised her eyebrow. "You think?"

I smirked back at her. "Mmhmm."

She rolled out of my arms and off the bed, literally dragging me with her out of the bedroom.

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**A/N#2: I'm not sure they got anything resolved there, do you? Well, except maybe Naomi's discovery of one of Emily's special spots...**

***dirty grin***

**More soon.**

**Until then... Reviews?**

**~GN~ xo**


	9. Please Baby, Don't

**A/N: Greetings...**

**This will probably be my last post to this story this year, so enjoy it thoroughly. This chapter also contains a Cigarette Warning™ (Or a Class S smut rating), so use it wisely.**

**On with it, then...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own skins. Buffer. Any and all typos are not my fault. I swear.**

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**(Naomi POV)**

(Friday night)

Friday nights... The night at the end of the working week, when everybody is fed up with whatever nine-to-five slog people in normal jobs have to put up with. One thing I'll say about my job, and Effy's, is that it's never boring. Seriously, how can selling sex toys, much less testing them be _boring?_

_Any_way.

Effy had dragged me out to a club, as per her frequent ritual of getting us both completely fucked on alcohol and the occasional tab of E, or the odd spliff hidden in her bra. My day at work had been normal for a Friday, with Emily and I catching up on the requisite paperwork, and comparing notes. You'd think it odd to compare notes on how pleasurable a sex toy is, but like I told Emily when she first started at TI, the novelty wears off pretty quickly. She was still having a bit of trouble with the overuse of descriptive words in her appraisals, and I was patiently teaching her how to be more brief. They were appraisals, not erotic novels. I'm fairly sure that girl could honestly make a decent living writing smut for lesbian porn mags.

Effy had sent me to the bar, while she went out for a cigarette.

"Three shots of vodka each, right Naoms?"

"Yeah, yeah... Just you go off and enjoy your coffin nail..."

She smirked, and dissolved into the crowd, leaving me to make my way to the bar. While I was waiting, I caught a flash of red in the corner of my eye, and turned in the direction of it, scanning the crowd. My eyes landed on Emily, who was across the room. I smiled to myself, as my heart did a little flip inside my chest. Emily turned to her left, and another girl came up beside her, beginning to dance with her. I raised my eyebrow, and watched as the girl leaned in and locked lips with Emily. The hairs raised on the back of my neck, as I felt something inside start to burn that I hadn't felt before. I found myself confused, and suddenly angry that someone _else_ had their hands on her.

It didn't make any sense to me, because Emily and I weren't anything other than workmates who worked an odd job, and slept with each other in an extra-curricular sense.

But still, it made me angry.

The bartender placed six shot glasses in front of me. I my confusion and apparent anger, I drank three of them very quickly. Guess I was getting fucked off my head quicker than expected tonight, then?

"Hey, slow down...wait for me." Effy said, as she came up to stand next to me.

I ignored her and got the bartender's attention again. "Can I get three more of those?" I asked, handing over a tenner. The bartender nodded and poured out the shots. I sank one, before Effy stopped me.

"Naoms. What is it?"

I turned back to the crowd, and Effy followed my line of sight to where Emily and the mystery girl were mid-snog.

"Isn't that-"

"Yeah. It's Emily." I said, my voice thick with something between anger and hurt.

Effy looked at me carefully. "Oh."

"Oh what?"

"What exactly is it with you and her?" Effy asked.

I shrugged.

"C'mon, Naoms... Truth."

I sighed and hung my head. "It's not so professional anymore. I don't think I can stop it, there is just something about her."

"Oh." Effy said. "Jealousy, then."

"Is that what this feeling is?"

"What feeling?"

"Like I want to go over there and punch the other girl in the nose and tell her Emily is mine." I said.

"But she's not yours."

"I know! That's what's so fucking stupid, Eff! She and I... Christ, we work together, but it's more than just shagging each other for science and a paycheck. I care about her, Eff."

"Like you did with Sophia?"

I shook my head. "She's nothing like Sophia. She left town without a fucking word, and I've not even heard from her. Emily wouldn't be like that... She'd explain it to me at least."

"It's not just work with her, though, is it? It's not just sex."

I shook my head again. "No. It was...but it isn't anymore."

"So, you finally fall for someone, and it's someone you work with? Well done, Naomi." Effy smirked.

"Oh, fuck off. She's not ready to be with anyone, and I don't know if I ever will be."

"But you're still fucking her." Effy stated. "And not just as part of your job."

"I know, I know." I conceded.

"Right." Effy said before downing her three shots. "Leave it to me. I'll distract the girl she's with, the rest is up to you. Talk to her about it, because if you don't sort it, it's going to make the situation worse." She added, before wandering off.

"Eff! EFF!" I called after her, but the music was so bloody loud, the bass was pounding through my chest, so her hearing me was frankly impossible.

Christ. I watched, as my best friend made her way through the crowd, fixing her eyes on the girl opposite Emily as the two of them danced with each other. The other girl slid her hand down Emily's back, and pulled her closer. There was an uncomfortable feeling of confusion, and definite anger welling in the pit of my stomach. Effy was near them, waiting for her moment to strike. She waited until the other girl had decided to take a moment to turn in a circle and Effy took her hand and pulled her close to her, whispering in her ear. The crowd was so dense that Emily didn't notice at first, and I managed to make my way quickly enough to stand behind her, moving with the crowd. I was so relieved to be next to her, I didn't think, the first thing I did was slide my arms around her waist and pull her close and begin to dance with her.

Her hands covered mine as we moved, and her fingers traced over mine in an uncertain manner. I pulled her closer, hoping she wouldn't be mad when she found out it was me, but then also unable to release her from me, hoping my embrace didn't make her panic and clock me one by accident. I released my hold a little, and she turned in my arms, her eyes growing wide with surprise. "Naomi?" She said in disbelief, though I barely heard her over the throb of the bass from the club's sound system.

I nodded, and did the next thing that came to my mind, which was to lean in and kiss her slowly. My lips met hers, and she pulled herself closer to me again, and I took the hint, wrapping my arms tighter around her, gently pushing my tongue between her lips as we swayed to the melody around us. Emily broke the kiss first, and looked at me with a curious expression. She reached down and took my hand, leading me though the club and out into the street.

"Did you not want to stay?" I asked, as she began to walk down the street. I quickly fell into step beside her.

"No... I was getting bored." Emily said.

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself with whoever that girl was..." I said, a little sarcastically.

"_Don't_, Naomi." She said, stopping and turning to face me. "Don't _do_ that."

"Do what?" I asked.

"Get possessive on me. That's _not_ what we are, and you know it." Emily said, her voice wavering a little. She started walking again, and I began to walk after her.

"_What_ are we then, Emily? If it's not _just_ sex then what the fuck are we doing?" I asked.

"I don't _know_, Naomi!" She replied. "Can't things ever be complicated? Can't I just like shagging you?"

"I like shagging you too... But Emily, I... Christ." I said, stopping in my tracks. I had a sudden realisation that Effy had been right, I _was_ jealous. I sighed, deeply, leaning against a low wall. "Ems, I'm sorry. I admit it... I got jealous seeing you with someone else. I saw you kissing her, and I didn't like it one bit. It made me angry." I said.

"Naomi..."

"I know... You're not ready for anything. But Emily... I can't help the way I feel about you. I'm not even sure what that is, but I know it's more than just friendship... I've grown to care for you a lot, hun. I want to be something more to you, when you're ready. I can't promise I'll be any good at it, but the least I can do is try."

Emily looked up at me, and shut her eyes in an expression that echoed frustration. She opened her eyes again and tears slipped down her cheeks. "You make me want you so much...it hurts." She croaked, her voice thick with emotion.

I reached up and ran my thumbs through the tracks of her tears, rubbing her cheeks dry. "I want you too, Emily. Not just as someone to shag for science, profit, or whatever. Not as just a casual screw to scratch an itch. I think I want to be the person who you wake up next to every day."

"Naomi..._please_, baby..._don't_..." Emily whispered, as she started to cry. I pulled her close to me and she buried her head in my chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry..." I said, softly stroking her hair. "I didn't want to upset you, I just... I feel so much more for you than just friendship."

She lifted her head from my chest and shook it slightly. She reached up behind my neck and pulled my lips down to hers, kissing them deeply. It was a desperate, but lingering kiss, and I felt Emily pull my body closer to hers.

Once we had separated, Emily slid her hand into mine, and began to lead me down the street. She didn't say anything and I didn't ask, and soon enough were re standing at the door to her flat, and she was fumbling with the key in the door. Her hands were shaking so much, I held then between my own to steady them, looking her in the eyes. I waited, until her fingers stopped shaking. "Better?" I asked, softly.

She nodded, and reached for the key and turned it, opening the door and pulling me inside, closing it behind us. She pulled me through the flat, in the direction other bedroom, fumbling at my clothing, which I automatically gave her a hand with, as well as beginning to remove her own. By the time we reached the foot of Emily's bed, we were down to our underwear, Emily unclipped my bra and slid the straps off my shoulders, before her fingers slid down my sides and into the waistband of my knickers, peeling the fabric off my skin and slipping them down my thighs. I gently pushed her backwards, and she fell backwards onto the bed. She looked up at me with eyes filled with lust and I quickly lay on top of her and pushed her bra up over her tits, paying particular attention to her nipples with my lips, tongue and teeth. I already knew how sensitive they were, and seeing as no one else knew this little secret of hers, I considered myself privileged.

A soft groan left her throat and her fingers gripped my shoulders, and I began to kiss down her stomach, reaching up to pinch her nipples once between my fingers before trailing my fingertips down to the waistband of her underwear, pulling them down her toned thighs. Once they were off, I pushed open her knees and began leaving soft kisses up her thighs. I placed my hand flat on her stomach as I got closer to her folds, inhaling the scent of her, then slipping my tongue between her outer lips. She gave a sharp intake of breath and her back arched, pushing her closer to me. I flicked my tongue at the space where her folds met, feeling the swell of her clit underneath. Her hand reached into my hair and gripped on, and I spread her open, beginning to lick and nibble at her clit.

Her hips rocked towards me more insistently, her breathing becoming more shallow. I began to flick my tongue faster against her clit and without hesitation pushed two of my fingers up inside her heat, earning a loud moan for my troubles. Both her hands were in my hair now, gripping more firmly as I pleasured her with my mouth and fingers.

"Oh shit... Ohhhh Christ, Naomi...oh please..." Emily moaned incoherently.

Please indeed. I sucked her clit between my lips and curved my fingers inside her, and she thrashed under me, the huskiness in her voice cutting out half of the loud groan that broke free of her throat. Her body stiffened as her orgasm gripped her, and I slowed the motions of my fingers and tongue as she came down from the space of pleasure. Her hand drifted down to my shoulder and made to pull me upward, and out of instinct I crawled up her body, leaving soft kisses all the way up her skin. She pulled me into her arms and crashed her lips against my own, tasting her own essence on my lips in a slow, lazy kiss.

We said nothing for a very long time, just laying there with my head on her chest and her fingers tracing back and forth across my shoulders. I had a cold feeling in the pit of my stomach, one of uncertainty about what was going to happen next.

"So..." I said, finally about to ask a question I was dreading an answer to. "...what now?"

I looked up at Emily, who stroked her fingers through my fringe. "What do you mean 'what now'?"

I sighed. "Have we ruined it?"

"God, I _hope_ not." Emily sighed. "I like you, I'm attracted to you, I'm not ready to be with someone, but I can't seem to be without you..." She said. "Why do you have to make me fall for you?"

"I'm sorry."

"But you are for me, too." She said. "Aren't you? That's why you came to me at the club."

I closed my eyes and sighed, "I don't know what it's like to fall in love, Emily. It's never happened to me before. But I know you mean much more to me than just a friend." I said.

"I know." Emily replied. "So do you to me. I tried to stop it happening, but it was impossible. It's just too strong."

I kissed her shoulder softly. "I don't want to hurt you, Emily. If this is too much for you..."

"It isn't so far... I just... I don't see myself sleeping with anyone else right now, but I just... Don't want to make a commitment, you know?"

"But if you did..."

"If I did, I'd be with you. But I just can't right now. It doesn't feel right. But I'm definitely not just using you for sex, Naoms. I don't think I ever really was."

"Me neither." I replied.

Emily sighed and kissed the top of my head. "What a pair we make... Someone who's never been in a relationship and someone who is wary of them, trying to figure out what they are to each other."

"What a right pair indeed." I laughed.

We laid there a few moments, just enjoying the feel of each other. "So, Naomi..."

"Mmm?" I said, looking up into her eyes.

"I think it's my turn to show you how much I want you..." She smirked, rolling us both over and straddling my hips.

And show me she did...

* * *

**A/N#2: So...still not saying the three words, but almost...it's in the air hovering like little tweeting birds...**

**Ah, dear.**

**More next year for this tale...happy new year everyone!**

**Until next time,**

**~GN~ xo**


	10. Skirting Around The Issue

**A/N: Sorry this took a while... I've been writing a new story called Coming Home that is coming along nicely, and I've been busy playing assassin's creed III, as well as watching a few movies in the past few days. But, I have been getting up and writing in the quiet hours of the morning, which is where CH came into it, that and a bout of depression which I am slowly getting through.**

**Anyway, I've managed to finish this chapter, short as it is. The next one will be longer, most likely.**

**On with it...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own skins. Prawns and bacon on pizza... Any and all typos snuck in by accident and got so high that they-**

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**(Emily POV)**

I don't know how I manage to keep ending up in this position, wrapped up in Naomi's arms in my bed. But all I know is that it felt completely right, no matter how much I didn't want it to. Her lips gently and lazily kissed my shoulder, brushing softly against my skin, as my fingertips slid slowly up her spine. I said nothing, I simply felt too content to speak.

Naomi made me feel out of control, but grounded all at once. She had become a good friend to me, obviously, but it wasn't just about the sex, which, I'm not going to lie, but I've never slept with someone so attentive to their partner's..._needs_. She was as meticulous with her tongue as she was her fingers, and her skills paid off, let me tell you. But Naomi was one of the only people I'd known who had shown a genuine concern for me. Katie did, but very rarely. Her beating up Mandy to the point of rhinoplasty was mostly about getting her anger out. But still, I suppose she was coming to my defense, so it wasn't all bad.

Everyone else either didn't listen to me properly, like my mother, or took advantage of my nature, like Mandy. Naomi was so different with me. She listened, she cared... It was hard not to find that quality addictive, when you've felt a little neglected all your life. It didn't hurt that she was very easy on the eyes, with beautiful blue eyes that looked like they were both frozen and alive at the same time. It definitely didn't hurt that she was fantastic in bed, and I can say I definitely didn't regret sleeping with her outside of work. My horizons had definitely been...er...broadened as a result. As of our last testing session at work, bondage is no longer _just_ a fantasy...

"Are you ok?" Naomi asked softly.

"Hmm? Oh...yeah, I was just thinking." I replied, with a gentle smile.

"Good things?"

I nodded. "Yeah." I whispered.

"Ok. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

She bit her bottom lip for a second before she spoke. "Are you mad I came to you in the club?"

I shook my head. "Actually, I saw you there."

Naomi's eyes went wide. "What? Why didn't you-"

"I tried so hard, when I saw you..." I said, "...to not go over to you. Because that would be admitting to myself how I feel about you."

"Oh." She said, softly. "And the other girl?"

I sighed. "She was an attempt at a distraction." I said. "But it wasn't working, anyway. Even if Effy hadn't intervened."

Naomi raised an eyebrow. "You knew it was her?"

"She strikes me as the diversionary kind." I said, dryly.

"Well put." Naomi smirked.

I snuggled a little closer to Naomi. "I didn't feel it with her. That thing I've felt every time you and I have ended up in bed." I said. "It just didn't feel right, because she wasn't you." Naomi closed her eyes, and opened them again, the bright blue of her eyes slightly darker. "I can't help it anymore than you can, Naomi. I've tried to avoid it, because I'm not ready to be with anyone. But I can't avoid you. You mean too much to me already, and if I walked away now, I feel like I would lose a part of myself."

"Emily..." Naomi whispered, before she pressed her lips against my own and kissed me softly.

"I knew it was you when Effy intervened. Before I even turned around." I said. "There are some things you just don't forget, Naoms... The body remembers, it's like...primal or something. My body remembers the feel of you against it. That's how I knew."

"Mmm..." Naomi murmured. "Makes sense."

I sighed deeply. "I don't want to fall in love with you, Naomi. But it's not something I can control anymore." I murmured back, closing my eyes and then opening them again, looking into her blue ones.

She held me close, and I nestled into her shoulder. "If this is too much for you, I understand." She said, softly. "If you want to stop seeing me outside of work."

I looked back up at her. "I can't, and you know it."

She shook her head and smiled timidly. "I can't either. I'm in too deep with you, Emily. I tried to stop it too... But it's worked about as well as your efforts."

"As in not."

"Yes."

"Hmm." I said, closing my eyes. I pulled her closer, my arms constricting around her. I felt her relax into my embrace and reciprocate it. Her lips met mine and she kissed me softly. Naomi's phone beeped from her pocket, but she made no move to get it. "Are you going to get that?" I asked.

"Mmm...I suppose I should. Might be important." She said reluctantly, lazily squirming out of my embrace. She reached for her jeans and extracted her phone, reading the message and laughed. "Effy asks whether we've got our shit together yet."

I laughed. "Cheeky."

"She meant well." Naomi said, crawling back under the covers and kissing my shoulder as she wrapped me up in her arms. She stilled, and stroked her fingertips through my fringe. Her blue eyes met mine and then she slowly blinked, and her lips curved upwards into a smile.

"What?" I asked, softly.

Naomi shook her head gently, "I'm just happy. And rather quite relaxed."

I leaned in and kissed her slow. "I know what you mean."

We lay silently for a few moments, until Naomi spoke again. "I've never known this... Just...connecting with someone, you know?"

"You mean emotionally?"

"Mmhmm." She replied. "It's different. It's...nice." She gently buried her nose. In my hair and inhaled gently. "You feel so good against me. I kind of don't want to let you go."

I cuddled closer to her and felt her wrap her arms around me a little bit tighter. "I... I don't want you to let me go, Naoms. I feel safe when I'm with you." I said, softly. It was true, I felt safer with Naomi than I ever did with Mandy. In all the nights I'd spent with her over the years, I never felt as whole, or protected as I did when I was with Naomi. The blonde whose arms I was in... I might not have wanted to get attached to her, but with every day, it became more inevitable, that I now knew. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't falling for her.

"I never meant for this to happen, Naomi." I said, softly kissing her shoulder. "I never meant to fall for you."

"I know that, Emily." She replied, placing a soft kiss against my temple. "Are you sure it's not too much?"

I sighed and traced light circles across Naomi's back. "I hope not. I really hope not." I said, looking into her eyes. "You're a good friend to me, Naomi, but it's so much more than that. I feel like I share a bond with you, somehow. As though we fit together, like two pieces of a jigsaw."

Naomi looked into my eyes, and I could see something uncertain in her own as they gazed at me. Her brow furrowed, and then she spoke. "Is it odd that it makes me nervous?"

I shook my head slowly and smiled. "Sometimes I forget you've never... Nervousness is part of it. You feel it?" I asked, and she nodded. "Well, that makes two of us."

"You?" Naomi asked, surprised. "But you've been in love before... I haven't-"

I leaned in and kissed her slowly, cutting off her words. I rolled on top of her, sitting astride her hips, trapping her arms above her head. "It doesn't matter." I said, my lips brushing her own. "It can be the first time, the tenth, the millionth... It makes you nervous because it's such a big thing... It's like standing on a cliff."

Her blue eyes looked up at me as her eyebrow raised. "A cliff?"

"Yeah... Close your eyes."

"What?"

"I'm serious...close your eyes for a sec." I said, watching as she closed her eyes. "Now... Imagine you're on a cliff... You know...like Dover, the white cliffs."

"Uh...ok..."

I waited a few seconds. "Are you there?"

"Mmhmm."

"Ok, so you're on the cliff... And it's cool, windy... The sea air... You're standing right at the edge, with nothing else around you except thin air and a light sea breeze... Can you see it?"

"Yeah..."

"How does it make you feel...here?" I said, placing my hand flat on her stomach.

Naomi's expression became curious, though she didn't open her eyes. "Nervous...like butterflies... Maybe a little bit...um..."

"A little bit...what?"

Her brows furrowed yet again. "I don't know... Excited? No wait... Like a burst of nervous energy... It's like...hot and cold all at the same time."

"You know why it's nervous energy?" Naomi shook her head. I leaned down and kissed across her jawline softly, stopping just as I got to her ear. "Falling in love is almost like jumping off the cliff. You jump off a cliff, you either fall on dirt, or into water. You jump into love, you are trusting someone with your heart, your soul. It can be very hard for some people to let go, to love and to let themselves be loved."

I leaned back up, and Naomi opened her eyes, looking right into mine. "Then I guess...by that definition...I'm falling in love with you." She said. "Because that's how I feel when I'm with you."

I closed my eyes and sighed, before opening them again. "The other thing, is that the heart doesn't follow the mind. It's an emotional muscle, the heart, you see. It takes milliseconds, Naomi... To fall for someone. Sometimes you don't realise it until later."

Naomi exhaled slowly, and I released her hands. She reached up and rested her palm against my cheek. "I feel like there's so much I don't know."

I tilted my head and kissed her palm. "It boggles me that you've never been in love with anyone before... You have such a caring heart, any woman would be lucky to have you."

"I was brought up to show kindness where it's needed, and to offer an ear the same way." Naomi said, quietly. "Falling in love with anyone has never crossed my mind, though."

I raised my eyebrow. "Never?"

She shook her head. "No. I guess I've just...never felt the pull." She replied. "Except with you."

I laid closer to her, feeling her naked skin pressed up against my own. Her arms wrapped around my body, and her fingertips trailed up my spine, making me shiver slightly. "Oh..." I said, softly. "What about you... Are you ok with all of this?"

"How do you mean?" She asked me.

I shrugged, slightly. "Well, you wanted to know if I was ok with where we are... But I know all this makes you nervous... I just want to make sure you and I are ok."

"I am. I mean... Is it supposed to be so..."

"Scary?" I smiled, as Naomi nodded in agreement, biting her bottom lip. I untucked it with my thumb, and gently kissed her lips. "It can be, yeah." I whispered. "But if you're scared... Talk to me, ok? At the moment, we are probably sharing some of those fears."

"You mean...?"

I nodded. "I'm scared of being hurt again." I said, simply.

"I'm scared of hurting you. I can be stubborn, and closed off, and-" she said, before I silenced her with a kiss. I knew I should have let her speak, but I guess my lips had other ideas. Hers must have, too, because she kissed me back, drawing me back into the pleasurable vortex.

Naomi pulled us gently apart and I leaned my head against hers. "I'm sorry... I didn't mean to-" I whispered, before she cut me off with another kiss. It was slow, lazy and deep.

"Mmm...what?" She asked, as her lips left mine.

I blinked, slowly. "Uh..." I shrugged. "It can wait." I said, before kissing her against passionately.

* * *

**A/N#2: More soon.**

**Reviews welcome!**

**Until next time...**

**~GN~ xo**


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